• by Tanya Gazdik , September 8, 2011

ING has awarded 50 schools from 24 states with grants of up to $2,500 to help fund running programs aimed at combating childhood obesity.

Through its "Run For Something Better" school awards program, financial services company ING, in partnership with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), is helping to introduce Kindergarten through eighth-grade students across the country to the benefits of making healthy lifestyle choices.

The grants support a minimum of an eight-week running program that will conclude with a running event. Schools will receive $1,000 immediately from the ING Community Fund, with additional funds granted based on the participation in the program.

Since 2006, close to $1 million has also been raised by individual donors through a special charitable fund set up by ING to encourage others to support the cause by making their own contributions. When someone donates $10 or more, ING will recognize their contribution by giving them a special pair of orange shoelaces to wear showing that they are "tied" to supporting kids' fitness.

ING created a dedicated Web site for the program at http://www.orangelaces.com. The company also has dedicated Facebook and Twitter feeds specifically for the program at http://www.facebook.com/orangelaces and http://twitter.com/#!/orangelaces/.

Schools can download unique running lesson plans developed by NASPE and based on the National Standards for Physical Education to serve as the foundation of the running program or to supplement an existing school program. Other program materials, such as sample eight-week training plans, distance logs, a running journal and access to a free timing system are also available.

Grant awards were available in all states and the District of Columbia to elementary or middle schools for running programs that target Kindergarten- through eighth-grade students. Over 300 schools applied for the grants. A NASPE review board consisting of 190 teachers and education administrators reviewed all applications.

In 2010, the ING Run For Something Better School Awards Program awarded 60 grants to schools in 27 states, providing 4,117 students the opportunity to discover running as a fun and easy way to increase physical activity and learn how to make healthy lifestyles choices. Students participating in the program ran a total of 123,580 miles.