MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The General Mills Foundation, in collaboration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation, today announced the recipients of its 2012 Champions for Healthy Kids grants. As part of the programs 10 year anniversary, 10 best of the best legacy award recipients were selected from previous Champions for Healthy Kids grantees. Each organization was awarded $50,000 to continue their proven programming to improve nutrition and physical fitness behaviors among youth.

Champions for Healthy Kids provides grants to nonprofits, schools and community organizations to develop creative ways to help kids of all ages incorporate physical fitness and good nutrition into their daily lives. Over the last 10 years of Champions for Healthy Kids, the General Mills Foundation has amassed key insights related to addressing childhood obesity. Key indicators of a successful childhood obesity program have been found to include:

With these learnings in mind, Champions for Healthy Kids targets grassroots efforts that develop creative ways such as dance, karate memberships and cooking classes to help youth adopt physically active lifestyles and balanced diets. In total, the General Mills Foundations Champions for Healthy Kids initiative has awarded more than $20 million in grants to organizations across the United States through its annual grant program and through other youth nutrition and fitness programs serving more than 5 million children nationwide.

For the past 10 years, the General Mills Foundation has worked closely with nonprofit organizations across the U.S. to increase physical activity and good nutrition among youth, said Ellen Goldberg Luger, General Mills vice president and executive director of the General Mills Foundation. We are excited to use the on-the-ground insights weve gathered from our work with more than 400 community organizations to better shape our future childhood obesity efforts and make an even greater impact.

The goal of the General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids grants is to encourage communities in the United States to improve the eating and physical activity patterns of young people aged 2 to 18. Grants have been awarded to nonprofit organizations and agencies working with communities that demonstrate the greatest need and likelihood of sustainable impact on young peoples nutrition and activity levels through innovative programs.

Throughout our 10 year partnership with the General Mills Foundation, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has witnessed, firsthand, the significant accomplishments made toward improving the health of our children through the Champions for Healthy Kids program, said registered dietitian and Academy Foundation Chair Barbara J. Ivens. As food and nutrition experts, registered dietitians are on the forefront of improving the health of our children, and while there is still work yet to be done, we are excited to build upon this momentum and continue to make real progress to tackle this complex issue.

The General Mills Foundation has awarded 450 Champions for Healthy Kids grants since 2002. Today, nearly all of the grant winners continue to provide nutrition education and fitness activities for children. Approximately 98 percent of past Champions for Healthy Kids programs continue to provide nutrition education and 94 percent continue to offer fitness activities.

The 10 2012 Champions for Healthy Kids recipients are as follows:

More information on the General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids initiative, grant applications, and best practices that can be adopted by any organization can be found at: http://www.GeneralMills.com/Foundation.

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General Mills Foundation Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Youth Nutrition and Fitness Program and Awards ‘Best of the ...