On Saturday, September 14, at 7:30 a.m., I volunteered at the 9th Annual Love Share Marathon. Happy Village, a nonprofit organization, hosted this event which was located on Wilshire Boulevard, in Central LA. Not only did organizations and groups come, but residents of Central LA also participated in the event. It was encouraging and exciting to see multitudes of people come out on an early Saturday morning to support awareness of child obesity.
Throughout my volunteering experience I met new people and partook in a variety of different tasks. I helped moving boxes and tables, as well as give runners their packages and shirts. While doing these tasks, I realized the importance of hosting events like this one. This marathon was a great way to help people be aware of childhood obesity and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Childhood obesity is becoming more abundant in children and adolescents in Los Angeles. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data trends and graphs show the high percentages of children and teens that are affected by obesity. For example, the percentages of “[o]besity prevalence was 13.9% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 18.4% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 20.6% among 12- to 19-year-olds.” From these high statistics, many people acknowledge the enormous increase in the number of children who are going through this serious issue.
This event was a great way to influence children and adults to change their unhealthy habits. I was so grateful for all of those who came to support this cause. Marathons like the 9th Love Share Marathon serve as an excellent tool to promote and encourage healthy living. As children and adults are negatively affected by unhealthy food consumptions and little to no physical activity, an increasing number of people are becoming overweight and unfit. Childhood obesity should be considered a dire issue, and we must try to change for the better, as the members of Happy Village are doing. I hope to see more events like this one in the future, where we all can support being healthy and recommend others to do so as well.
Rachel Lee
The Science Academy
