Youth
The Pickleball Club LLC has become the founding Sponsor for the Play for Life Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit and campaign to fight the ‘Inactivity Pandemic,’ which is seriously affecting the health and education of children.
“Look around any community in the U.S. You can see our children are too sedentary and unhealthy,” said Valerie McCarthy, Executive Director of The Play for life Foundation. “In fact, in a global study of 38 countries, US kids were ranked last in physical health…38th out of 38 countries. 93% of all kids are not active to CDC physical activity standards. We need to get kids more active, physically fit, and healthier to help them prevent and reduce health care costs.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
A lot of youth grows up to become adults that spend a large portion of their time being sedentary (prolonged sitting) despite the benefits of regular physical activity. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 8.3% of deaths of non-disabled adults ages 25 and older were attributed to physical inactivity. Being physically active and reducing sedentary behavior benefits health.
Research shows that:
Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes a week) is associated with reduced risk of:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Hypertension
- Type 2 diabetes
- Certain cancers, including bladder, breast and colon cancer
- Dementia
- Anxiety and depression
- Obesity
Costs associated with physical inactivity account for more than 11% of total health care expenditures and are estimated at $117 billion annually.
$28 billion per year of direct, indirect, and personal health care costs is saved through participating in sports and physical activity
Donate to support our youth today
At the Play For Life Foundation, our Club-N-Box can make a difference. A Club-N-Box contains nets, paddles, balls, and instructional material on how to play and setup a court. Getting our youth involved and exercising consistently through pickleball will lead to significant health benefits for both their physical and mental wellbeing.