Students in the PLOT (Promise Leaders of Tomorrow) youth group ran several sessions of the HEAT (Healthy Eating Active Time) Club at Community Development Recreation at 72 Bank Street as part of their volunteer efforts. Sixth-grade students Keegan Murphy and Katie Judge from Morton Middle School led half a dozen younger students from their school in an active game of tag and some yoga exercises in the one-hour activity program that has been running since January, 2009. The HEAT Club at CD-REC is sponsored by the Children In Balance program that is operating in the elementary grades of the Fall River Schools and a number of community agencies. After-school coordinator Ashley Rego oversees the CD-REC program. The objective is to provide children with an hour of heart-healthy activity, rather than screen time like television or video games, after school. Each group session ends with a healthy snack. For further information about the Children In Balance project in Fall River, contact Project Manager Marcia Picard at 508-324-2228. For information about the PLOT group, contact Massachusetts Promise Fellow Brendan Sullivan at 315-832-0234.
 

.(Top row, left) Keegan Murphy and Katie Judge give instructions to the younger children before they race around the gym in an active game of tag. (Top row, center and right) Devyn Souza chases Hope Ruth and almost tags Antonio Zarrella as Joey Correia watches from behind. (Middle row, left) Alexia Alves stretches to her toes in a yoga exercise. (Middle row, right) Keegan and Katie race the children in pursuit. (Bottom row, center) CD-REC after-school coordinator Ashley Rego passes out salsa to Saige Baptista, Devyn Souza and Joey Correia after the activity. (Bottom row, right) Katie and Keegan look over plans for the next session.