Free Swim N BBQ Luau Planned at Cottonwood Pool

Tickets are Limited and Available at the Cottonwood Rec Center

A Let’s Move and Fit Kids Special Event

COTTONWOOD, Ariz. (July 30, 2014) A Swim N BBQ Luau for children is planned at the Cottonwood outdoor pool on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. The pool is located at 100 Brian Mickelsen Parkway. There will be swimming, music and games. This special event will focus on the Let’s Move and Fit Kids themes of healthy living for children and their families. 

Several lucky kids will win one six-month pass, three three-month passes and six one-month passes to the Cottonwood Recreation Center.

Verde Valle Medical Center will present a demonstration on cooking on a barbecue the healthy way. Kids will enjoy a fun luncheon of chicken kabobs and watermelon.

It’s all free, but tickets are limited. Tickets are available at the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Center. For more information call 639-3200 or email Mayor Joens at djoens@cottonwoodaz.gov. The Cottonwood Recreation Center is located at 150 South Sixth Street in Cottonwood.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Cottonwood Mayor and Council, Fit Kids Arizona and the Verde Valley Medical Center. The Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department will provide the facilities and lifeguards for the event. Verde Valley Medical Center and Fit Kids will provide the barbecue luncheon. The mayor and council have budgeted for the free passes to the Rec Center to encourage families and children to become more active.

“Access to healthy foods for the community’s children has a direct impact on the overall health of the community,” says Mayor Joens.

The rise in childhood obesity has been fueled by many factors. Limited access to affordable, healthy foods, greater reliance on fast foods, and increased television, computer, and video game use are among the changes that have contributed to the escalation of childhood obesity rates, according to information from the First Lady.

The four pillars of the Let’s Move program are helping parents make healthy family choices, creating healthy schools, providing access to healthy and affordable foods, and promoting physical activity.
The First Lady has called on mayors and elected officials from across the country to join her Let’s Move campaign, which strives to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. “The Swim N BBQ Luau will be a fun way to work on this campaign as a community,” Mayor Joens says.

Contact: Hezekiah Allen hallen@cottonwoodaz.gov