As a concerned parent of an overweight child, my heart overflowed as I realized the health risks associated with her growing obesity.  It was evident that something had to be done by someone; to preserve and to improve the quality of life for my child.  In 2002, I decided that someone was me! 

I was moved to take action in the form of starting a nonprofit organization called C.H.O.I.C.E.S.   This is the acronym for The Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully, Inc.  The name truly reflects our mission, which is to prevent obesity and eliminate the overweight epidemic in children by enabling them to make better choices as it relates to food and lifestyle.  

As a family, we learned that staying active and eating properly were the keys to halting the weight gain in our own child.   

After participating in many weight management programs, we also realized that just losing weight in the short term wasn’t enough.   What every child and each family needs is a way of life that promotes healthy eating, physical activity and peer socialization on a long-term basis.

Since starting C.H.O.I.C.E.S., I have come to realize that obesity exits in epidemic proportions for all people in the United States, especially in our children.   The Center for Disease Control estimates that more than 9 million children and adolescents in this country are overweight or obese.  That is nearly 4 times the number 40 years ago! The challenge we face, is to reverse the trend.