UNBOUND GRAVEL + LIFE TIME FOUNDATION + OUTRIDE TOGETHER
In 2021, Life Time Foundation and Outride are partnering to bring both healthy nutrition and movement to young people one school at a time.
We will be underwriting $25,000 grants to schools implementing both the Life Time Foundation’s nutrition and Outride’s cycling programs. We invite you to support our efforts!
Join us as we move into a future where there are more bikes, more safe places to ride, and more riders from every walk of life. A cycling future that’s more diverse, connected, and joyful.
TOGETHER, WE CAN OUTRIDE ANYTHING.
Mission:
The Life Time Foundation and Outride have supported healthy habits and provided access to valuable resources for students across the United States for a combined 22 years. Life Time Foundation partners with 27 school districts, representing 3,554 schools, to keep highly-processed foods out of school meals, while increasing the amount of fresh and simply prepared foods. Outride has partnered with over 200 schools and 70 community organizations to get more kids on bikes. In 2021, Life Time Foundation and Outride are partnering to bring both healthy nutrition and movement to young people one school at a time.
We will be underwriting $25,000 grants to schools implementing both the Life Time Foundation’s nutrition and Outride’s cycling programs. To support these efforts, our organizations are also partnering to raise awareness around the challenges of access to healthy lifestyles faced by young people across the United States—and inviting our communities to be part of the solution.
Why:
1 in 3 children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and only one quarter of youth get recommended amounts of aerobic physical activity.
We’re partnering to support activity in young people and because all young people deserve access to healthy food.
Studies show that both nutrition and movement greatly affect our students’ physical and mental well being. Together, we can make a difference in the health of students!
There’s a body of evidence that suggests a direct connection between obesity and the consumption of artificial and highly processed foods—and a growing number of studies that demonstrate the negative impacts of these foods on the lives of our children. These issues include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, increased cancer risk, shorter lifespan, learning disabilities, limited attention spans, hyperactivity, behavior problems, depression, and anxiety.
Similarly, research is also pointing to cycling providing a unique solution to many of these problems. Access to a bike and regular riding increases young people’s ability to focus during the school day, mitigates symptoms of ADHD, and can provide an outlet that improves mental health.
I’m In! How Can I Help?
Starting April 8, we are asking you to sign up for the OutrideTogether UNBOUND Gravel Challenge. We are inviting the whole cycling community to join us in funding a Riding for Focus program in the Emporia area.
You can join in three ways.
1. Ride (and log) those miles!
2. Turn those miles into dollars so that our programs can be rolled out to even more schools. Together, we can outride hurdles to nutrition and activity that so many of our young people face on a daily basis.
3.Spread the word!
The first part is easy—join the Outride Together X UNBOUND Club on Strava and make sure your miles are logged as you train this spring for our June 2021 event. It’s that simple. This is an open challenge to the cycling community: How many miles can we collectively ride to support a good cause? Gravel riding has always been rooted in community, participation, and access to riding. We know that Emporia-area students will benefit from a Riding for Focus program—let’s show those young people how much the rest of the cycling community wants to show up for them.
The second part allows you to advocate within your cycling community and channel support to two organizations providing resources for kids to get healthy, happy, and engaged in the outdoors. Join the OutrideTogether and Life Time Foundation Fundraising Challenge here. Take on your own fundraising to raise even more funds for these two organizations to improve kids’ lives through nutrition and movement.
Third: Share out! Tell us what you Outride! Tell us your ‘why’ for riding—and show us the power of the cycling community. Be sure to tag @outride, @unboundgravel @life_time_foundation on Instagram and hashtag #outridetogether, #UNBOUNDGravel, #InGravelWeRoam in all your posts!
