Our Vision: To empower at-risk youth to lead mentally-, physically- and emotionally-balanced lives, thereby enhancing their well-being as well as that of the community as a whole.
Our Mission: To fully educate at-risk youth and their families on physical fitness, nutrition and social/emotional character development through experience-based learning.
Our Values and Culture: To create an experience-based learning environment that is built on trust, courage, respect and balance; where children can develop necessary social, emotional, cognitive and dexterous skills to empower themselves in leading a wholesome life.
As an active member of the South Orange County Childhood Obesity Prevention Task Force (through St. Joseph’s Health and Mission Hospital), F2BK is dedicated to providing relevant awareness education, stellar program curriculum and easily-accessible resources for the entire family unit. F2BK launched its first free community outreach programs in September 2010, working with under-served, at-risk youth to provide awareness and field programs that address modern societal symptoms; such as, childhood obesity, which affects more than 12 million children in the United States alone, and 70% of these obese children have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Our Impact
Since our inception, we have been successful in documenting our impact, as well as the feedback from children and parents. In addition to quantifiable KPIs (key performance indicators) – such as, BMI (body mass index), muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular improvement and SEL (social/emotional learning) surveys – the data revealed a bigger and broader picture that we now use in conjunction with the above KPI’s to plot the future of F2BK.
Fit to be Kids: WELCOME to our Youth Programs...Fighting Childhood Obesity
“I have spent the past 13 years promoting and teaching physical education at both the public schools as well as at the university level. During that time, I have seen countless fitness programs across the US and can confidently say that Fit to be Kids is by far one of the best programs for health and wellness I’ve ever seen. It offers a unique blend of mind-body-spirit practices not only for the at-risk children it services, but for their families as well. This outstanding program thinks outside the box and strives to make an even bigger impact by teaming forces with key public organizations to further its curricular impact. At its core, Fit to be Kids is a program that is built on essential educational benchmarks and standards with regards to physical activity and nutrition and keeps its content current with the latest research and best practices. It is my professional recommendation that this outstanding program be integrated into ANY community or public school setting across America looking to fight obesity trends in their community. It is a proven winner and gets my full endorsement!”
Physical Education Pedagogy Professor
“It is well known that the obesity problem and epidemic in America is of primary importance for the health, safety, and lives of our children and their future. As a pediatric cardiologist, I see the obvious current effects of obesity causing childhood hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, amongst affecting many other areas of the body, physically, mentally, and socially. Fit2BKids is an amazing organization whose heart and soul beats to solve this problem, starting with individuals and affecting a community. The focus of every aspect of the organization’s efforts aims at benefiting the children it serves. Every detail of the curriculum, teaching, exercise, relationships, healthy eating, safety, and even fundraising has one sole purpose. That is to reach, educate, encourage, and catapult this young generation into healthy and hopeful lives. Having observed many of the sessions, it is pure joy to see the children respond to these opportunities with smiles, laughter, and energy. This combined with the hard work and sweat through fun activities and teaching, is a wonderful formula for success. I recommend this organization and its activities wholeheartedly and without reservation. Fit to be Kids is exactly the kind of program I have been waiting for to send my patients to. I fully support its endeavors and dreams and have full confidence that its impact will be tremendous (it already has!).”
Pediatric Cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente-Orange County, CA, F2BK Volunteer
Founder and Executive Director
SHAE GAWLAK, Founder and Executive Director, was born and raised in Arvada, Colorado and received her BS in Health & Wellness-Nutrition from Kaplan University. In September 2010, Shae founded Fit2BeKids, which emerged under the guise of a school project for her Public Health Class. Once Fit2beKids went from paper to reality and took on a life of its own, Shae began devoting her entire career to nurturing the ideologies, methodologies and culture of the organization, producing a successful youth program for the under-served community. Shae has also been an Adjunct Professor at Concordia University, teaching Exercise Sports Science since 2014. She is a certified personal trainer with NASM and has been in the fitness industry for over 25 years, working with children, teens, adults and seniors. She is highly respected in her field of expertise, is actively involved in her community and has been providing free community outreach programs to families in both California and Colorado for over five years. Shae is a very proud mom of three teenage boys, Michael (swimmer), Lucas (mountain biker) and Jaxon (wrestler), all of whom attend school in the Saddleback Valley School District in South Orange County, CA. Shae also enjoys spending quality time with her husband, William, from participating in all of their sons’ extra-curricular sports to traveling, yoga, tennis, weight training and long sunset strolls on the beach.
Development Director
ROBERTA NEUMANN, Development Director, holds a M.Ed (Masters of Education degree) in Public/Clinical Health Education AND M.A.T. Masters of Arts in Teaching Health and Physical Education. Robbie is an experienced and energetic educator with demonstrated ability in curriculum development, research and diversity. She successfully understands critical educational requirements and developing innovative solutions for enhancing health and physical education programs for educators. Robbie has been a strong leader with stellar qualifications in the education field for more than 25 years. She is a mother of three – one off to college soon (Lauren), another soon to go (Nathan), and her youngest (Hailey) departs next year. Robbie enjoys running, hiking, swimming and spending quality time with her family.
Program Director
JENNIFER MARQUEZ-DOUGHERTY, Program Director, has been a Youth Sports Coach and Coordinator for over 20 years. Ten years ago, she spearheaded a successful Track and Field program in Denver, Colorado that began with 40 kids and, within three years, grew to be 450 athletes. While Jennifer was the Head Coach and Coordinator for Apex Recreation Center in Arvada, CO, she also was the Chair for the Track and Field club of the Colorado Association for Recreational Athletes (CARA) for two years. Along with track and field sports, Jennifer has coached all levels – recreational and competitive – of gymnastics for 15 years. Jennifer is passionate and dedicated to her profession and truly enjoys the benefits of working with youth. Watching her participants become athletes who accomplish their goals and observing their sheer dedication to their sports is what has kept her in this field for so many years. Jennifer has 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren.
Nutritionist & Celebrity Chef
MAREYA IBRAHIM, Nutritionist & Celebrity Chef, is also known as our resident “Fit Foodie”. Mareya is a nationally-recognized food safety and clean eating expert, an award-winning entrepreneur, television chef, author and inventor. Her mission is to set the record straight on what's on our plates and to help everyone take healthy matters into their own hands. She is a contributor to the New York Times bestseller, “The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life” by Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman. Mareya is a single mother of two children, Sophia and Lucca, and spends quality time with them doing fun things like cooking, playing at the beach and camping up and down the coast of California.
Business Strategy Consultant
SUZANNE LAWRENCE, Business Strategy Consultant, brings her diverse management and leadership experience at for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where she served as part of the leadership team at the International Development department. Suzanne works directly with the executive management team at Fit2BeKids to expand the program service area and to build a broad base of supporters in an effort to advance the mission throughout Southern California and surrounding regions. Suzanne is a single mother of two, Yasmeen and Omar, both of whom are honor-roll high-school students.
Fit to be Kids, Inc., a non-profit organization specializing in fitness activities
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