Elgin's first 'Let's Move' event aims to curb childhood obesity with fun

Elgin's first "Let's Move" event - spinning off from first lady Michelle Obama's program aimed at curbing childhood obesity - will take place later this month.

Let's Move Elgin will feature a 100-meter fun run for kids and a 5K walk/run for kids and adults starting at 7:50 a.m. Sept. 20 at Festival Park during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Proceeds will benefit the Making Kane County Fit for Kids program, said Dr. Terri Dallas-Prunskis, an Elgin-based physician who spearheaded the event.

"I want anybody, everybody, to participate, but definitely I would want the kids there, because this is something for them," she said.

Dallas-Prunskis, co-founder of the Illinois Pain Institute, said she sees the effects of long-term obesity in her daily practice.

"I see all types of people and the majority are inactive and overweight. They have so much pain in multiple joints and medical problems," she said. "They say they had health problems as a child and may have been obese, and it just carries onto their senior years. It's so frightening, and you see it coming."

Kane County Assistant Director for Community Health Michael Isaacson, who manages Making Kane County Fit for Kids for the county health department, said the latest childhood obesity data is being analyzed, but preliminary results show positive trends among some groups, with numbers leveling off or declining.

He praised Let's Move Elgin for its creative 100-meter fun run. "Having different distances makes it enjoyable for all ages, and makes it more appealing," he said.

The event's organizing committee includes Ronald Raglin, assistant superintendent for educational support programs and alignment for Elgin Area School District U-46.

"(The event) is fundamentally something that is good and positive, and gives students, especially, and families a chance to get out and exercise," he said. "It's a win-win situation for everyone, and I gladly support it. I applaud (Dallas-Prunskis) for just rallying it, and championing it, and asking people to get involved."

A post-race party is 9 to 11 a.m. at Festival Park; there will be booths staffed by Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, an exhibit about healthy eating, music, food and more. The 100-meter fun run is for children 8 and younger; registration is $2. Registration for the 5K run/walk is $10 for youth ages 9 to 17 and $30 for adults 18 and older. For more information visit letsmoveelgin.com.

Dallas-Prunskis said she also wants to get the word out about the A Prescription for Healthy Kids program by the city's parks and recreation department. Elgin-area physicians can give kids a make-believe "prescription" that calls for being active in different ways and grants free participation in a parks program.

Physicians interested in participating in A Prescription for Healthy Kids can call parks and recreation Director Randy Reopelle at (847) 931-6127.