MiamiHerald.com

HurricaneSports.com

THIS ARTICLE COPIED FROM HURRICANESPORTS.COM – WE APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT!

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Amy Deem, the University of Miami director of track and field & cross country, and several members of the Canes track team helped lead hundreds of local youth in a mile run.

Deem, who has coached track and field at Miami for 22 years, was joined by runners Taneisha Cordell, Jasmyne King and Shannon Wright at Goulds Park Wednesday morning. The group represented the University of Miami at the inaugural running of the 2013 Morning Mile program.

“It is always great to be involved in the community,” Deem said. “The Morning Mile is an excellent program and being able to witness all the young people participating was awesome. Getting our student-athletes involved is not only motivation for the children of Goulds Park, but reminds our student athletes of the importance of giving back to the community.”

Joining the Canes at Goulds Park were Olympic bronze medalist and Miami native Bershawn Jackson and former five-time NBA All-Star and Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway. The Hurricanes, Jackson and Hardaway served as motivational speakers for the hundreds of children from various Miami-Dade Country Parks Fit2Play Summer Camp that were in attendance.

The Morning Mile program promotes a healthy, active lifestyle and the campers kicked off their summer of fitness by running some laps with some of the areas top athletes.

Last year the Morning Mile program had campers log in over 26,000 miles. Participants received collectible necklace charms for every five miles they ran. The Morning Mile program was developed by Fitzness International and is sponsored by AvMed Health Plans.

In addition to helping participants stay fit, the Morning Mile program also helps fund local parks through the “100 for 100” Challenge. For every child who runs 100 miles over the course of the summer as part of the Morning Mile program, $100 will be donated by local corporations to the Parks Foundation’s Fit2Play Scholarship Fund, and matched 100-percent.  The Fit2Play Scholarship Fund provides disadvantaged children scholarships to attend Miami-Dade Parks’ after-school and summer camp programs at no cost.

For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @HurricaneSports, or “Like Us” on Facebook at facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @MiamiTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country.

These 42 camps are sponsored by

Miami Heat’s Tim Hardaway to Launch Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade’s “100 for 100 Challenge”

(MIAMI, June 10, 2013) – University of Miami Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Amy
Deem, who led Team USA track and field at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, as well as
men’s and women’s track athletes from the University of Miami, and Olympic hurdler Bershawn
Jackson will lead hundreds of children from Miami-Dade Parks’ Fit2Play Summer Camps to
kick-off the 2013 Morning Mile on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, beginning at 10:00 a.m., at
Goulds Park, 11350 SW 216th Street in Miami.

The Morning Mile, developed by Fitzness International and sponsored by AvMed Health Plans,
is being expanded to all of Miami-Dade Parks’ 42 Fit2Play Summer Camps. Children begin
their day with a morning run, jog or walk. For every five miles, they receive collectible necklace
charms. Last year, campers logged over 26,000 miles.

To further incentivize healthy and active living among children, the Parks Foundation of Miami-
Dade, with the help of the Miami Heat’s Tim Hardaway, will launch the “100 for 100 Challenge.”

For every child who runs 100 miles over the course of the summer as part of the Morning Mile
program, $100 will be donated by local corporations to the Parks Foundation’s Fit2Play
Scholarship Fund, and matched 100-percent. The Fit2Play Scholarship Fund provides
disadvantaged children scholarships to attend Miami-Dade Parks’ after-school and summer
camp programs at no cost.

“It’s my hope that businesses in Miami-Dade will follow in the footsteps of AvMed Health Plans
and support our community’s kids,” said Dick Anderson, President of the Parks Foundation of
Miami-Dade and former Miami Dolphins Safety. “The ‘100 for 100 Challenge’ is a great
motivator for children and corporations alike.”

“We are extremely proud to partner with Miami-Dade County and Fitzness International to
sponsor a third year of the Morning Mile,” said James M. Repp, AvMed Senior Vice President.
“With the addition of the University of Miami’s Olympians it’s sure to inspire each of us to stay
active and engaged in healthy activities.”

“We are excited to participate in such a worthwhile event,” said Amy Deem, University of Miami
Director of Track and Field & Cross County. “Health and fitness is so important for our young
people and this event will give them an opportunity to interact with athletes who excel in a
healthy lifestyle.”

“The Morning Mile program has been a tremendous addition to our summer camp curriculum.
We’re grateful to AvMed Health Plans, Fitzness International, the University of Miami’s track and
field teams, and Olympian Bershawn Jackson for their continued commitment to the health of
our community,” said Jack Kardys, Director of Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open
Spaces.

WHAT: Olympians and Athletes Kick-Off Morning Mile presented by AvMed Health
Plans, plus “100 for 100 Challenge” Launch

WHEN: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 beginning at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Goulds Park

11350 SW 216th Street

Miami

WHO: Amy Deem, University of Miami Director of Track and Field & Cross Country and
Team USA Track & Field Coach

Student-Athletes from University of Miami’s men and women’s track teams

Olympic Hurdler Bershawn Jackson

Tim Hardaway, Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade

Pat Nelson, Regional Head of Strategic Accounts, AvMed Health Plans

Morning Mile Founder, Fitz Koehler

About AvMed Health Plans:

AvMed has been providing health care coverage to Florida citizens and businesses for over 40
years, serving large and small employers in most major markets around the state. AvMed
provides Medicare Advantage products in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and individual
coverage in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. For more information about
AvMed, visit www.avmed.org.

About Morning Mile:

Created by Fitzness International, the Morning Mile program provides participating schools or
parks with a program guidebook and everything needed to bring the exercise program to their
students. The program has been so successful with nearly 150 programs in Florida, Texas,
California, Louisiana, Canada and on a US Air Force Base near Tokyo, Japan, that venues
around the United States and beyond have applied to participate so they can implement the
program as well. A grant from AvMed provided the funding for the Morning Mile starter kits,
which give parks the instructions and materials to start the program. To learn more about
launching or sponsoring the program, visit www.MorningMile.com.

About The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade:

The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting the Miami-
Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department’s efforts to further develop
Miami-Dade County’s world-class parks system for residents and visitors. Its mission is to
create a healthier, more livable and sustainable Miami community by ensuring the
implementation of the Parks Open Space Master Plan and the development of year-round park
and recreation programs for local children, adults and people with disabilities. For more
information on the Parks Foundation, please visit www.miamidade.gov/parks_foundation.

About the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department:

Nationally accredited, a three-time winner of the NRPA National Gold Medal Award, winner of
the 2013 Florida Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award and the 2009 Florida Governor’s
Sterling Award for excellence in management and operations, Miami-Dade County Parks is the
third largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 260 parks and 12,825 acres
of land. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world. Made up of more
than just playgrounds and athletic fields, it also comprises out-of-school, sports-development,
and summer-camp programs; programs for seniors and people with disabilities; educational
nature centers and nature preserves; environmental restoration efforts; arts and culture
programs and events; the renowned Zoo Miami and the Deering Estate at Cutler; the Crandon
Tennis Center, home of the Sony Open; golf courses; beaches; marinas; campgrounds; pools;
and more. For information about Miami-Dade County Parks call 3-1-1, or visit
www.miamidade.gov/parks/.

UM Track & Field Coach Amy Deem, HurricaneSports.com

THIS ARTICLE WAS COPIED FROM HURRICANESPORTS.COM – WE’RE SO GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SUPPORT!

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami director of track and field & cross country Amy Deem, who led Team USA’s track and field team at the Olympic Games in London, along with track student-athletes from the University of Miami and Olympic hurdler Bershawn Jackson, will lead hundreds of children from Miami-Dade Parks’ Fit2Play Summer Camps to kick-off the 2013 Morning Mile on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, beginning at 10:00 a.m., at Goulds Park located at 11350 SW 216^th Street in Miami.

“We are excited to participate in such a worthwhile event,” Deem said “Health and fitness is so important for our young people and this event will give them an opportunity to interact with athletes who excel in a healthy lifestyle.”

The Morning Mile, developed by Fitzness International and sponsored by AvMed Health Plans, is being expanded to all of Miami-Dade Parks’ 42 Fit2Play Summer Camps.  Children begin their day with a morning run, jog or walk.  For every five miles, they receive collectible necklace charms.  Last year, campers logged over 26,000 miles.

“The Morning Mile program has been a tremendous addition to our summer camp curriculum,” said Jack Kardys, Director of Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces. ”We’re grateful to AvMed Health Plans, the University of Miami’s track and field teams and Olympian Bershawn Jackson for their continued commitment to the health of our community.”

To further incentivize healthy and active living among children, the non-profit Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade will launch the “100 for 100 Challenge.”  For every child who runs 100 miles over the course of the summer as part of the Morning Mile program, $100 will be donated by local corporations to the Parks Foundation’s Fit2Play Scholarship Fund, and matched 100-percent.  The Fit2Play Scholarship Fund provides disadvantaged children scholarships to attend Miami-Dade Parks’ after-school and summer camp programs at no cost.

“It’s my hope that businesses in Miami-Dade will follow in the footsteps of AvMed Health Plans and support our community’s kids,” said Dick Anderson, President of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade and former Miami Dolphins Safety.  “The ‘100 for 100 Challenge’ is a great motivator for children and corporations alike.”

For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @HurricaneSports, or “Like Us” on Facebook at facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @MiamiTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country.

Think running is a burden? Think again! Tens of thousands of kids across the nation think it’s a PRIVILEGE! Preschooler Melia loves running the Morning Mile at school so much that she does it at home too. Thanks to her Daddy, Dan, who shared this adorable footage with us. Go Melia!

MorningMile.com

         Einstein Elementary school’s official first day participating in the Morning Mile took off sprinting with over 50% of the students showing up at 7:45am to run with the University of Florida ROTC the day before spring break! Everybody was full of energy, spirits were high and the miles were racking up quickly. Physical Education coach Mark Casey was very enthusiastic about the success of the first morning and said “the kids really take pride in how much they run, and the Morning Mile helps get them excited to start the day off.” All of the Einstein students were running their hearts out, best explained by one of the young runners whom told Coach Mark “Coach! This is exhausting!” Not only the students were participating Friday morning though; parents, grandparents, teachers and friends all tied up their sneakers and ran before classes started. Jimmy Phillips, an avid runner/grandfather joined his grandchildren on the field and had this to say afterwards “ The Morning Mile is great because it gets the kid’s blood flowing, their mechanisms going, and gives them energy for the day.” Ultimately, it was a great morning for everyone and there are many more to come!

Register at Active.com!

ABC’s WCJB TV20 News visited our Morning Mile program at The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida. Run by Coach Carrie Reichardt, these kids love to run and have completed over 5,000 miles already this year. Not bad for a school with just over 100 students! Overall, the Morning Mile has been implemented in 116 schools throughout the USA, Canada and on a US Air Force base near Tokyo, Japan. Morning Milers have run over 500,000 miles!

Would you love to see your children or students our walking or running before school? Want to sponsor a Morning Mile program at one or many schools? We have over 100 schools on our waiting list, they just need generous private sector businesses or individuals to help get them started. Sponsoring is inexpensive and the benefits last a lifetime. Contact Fitzness@aol.com to get started.

Video courtesy of ABC’s TV20 News!

The Rock School is sponsored Dream Day Cakes.

MorningMile.com

MorningMile.com

St. Patrick’s Interparrish School is a fine example of how the Morning Mile is bringing communities together every morning to get fit. On Friday, February 1^st the University of Florida’s ROTC members joined St. Patrick’s students and their parents for the Morning Mile. Despite below average temperatures, this hearty group got up early to get fit while having fun.

The students were elated to enjoy the company of the future Marines as they walked, jogged and raced each other around the field. Morning Mile founder, Fitz Koehler, said “she loves how sweet the Marines are with the kids. They have great conversations and do silly things like play chase. They’re all such genuinely good guys and are incredible role models too.” Second grader, Tessa Boudreaux finished her run shouting “Woohoo, I’m the winner!”, which is exactly how every Morning Mile participant should feel.

Amidst the excitement the ROTC proclaimed that they were “more than happy to help inspire Morning Mile”.

St. Patrick’s Interparrish School is sponsored by Dream Day Cakes.

We call Chris Pampo our NO EXCUSES MOM, because she’s out running in below-freezing temps with her Pre-K daughter, Tess, in a skirt, leather boots and a jacket! Why? Because she “gets” the importance of her daughter’s daily runs and wants to enjoy that quality time together. Go Mom! Headed off to work right after the Morning Mile is over. Hope you’ll find time to walk or run the Morning Mile with your children too! #NoExcuses This photo was taken at St. Patrick’s Interparrish School.

St. Patrick’s Interparrish School is sponsored by Dream Day Cakes.