Governor Janet Mills, Chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils Jake Steinfield, and students and staff from Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School in Deer Isle, Gorham Middle School in Gorham and SeDoMoCha School in Dover-Foxcroft today virtually cut the ribbons on their new state-of-the-art DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers.
Governor Mills, Steinfeld, and the students and staff celebrated the unveiling of their new $100,000 fitness centers, which were gifted to them earlier this year following a competition from the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC) DON’T QUIT! Campaign. The three schools were selected as the state’s most outstanding schools for demonstrating leadership in getting and keeping their students fit.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFGFC opted to celebrate by holding a “virtual ribbon cutting tour” where each school received a DON’T QUIT! Kit that included shirts, face masks and ceremonial scissors. Governor Mills has also signed a proclamation declaring October as "DON’T QUIT! Fitness Month” encouraging families and communities to make physical activity and healthy eating part of children's daily lives.
Watch the virtual ribbon cutting here (YouTube).
“I wholeheartedly congratulate the students at Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary, Gorham Middle, and SeDoMoCha on winning these state-of-the-art fitness centers, which will help them stay healthy and strong,” said Governor Janet Mills. “Academics and fitness go hand-in-hand, and I am so grateful to Jake and the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils for bringing this opportunity to Maine and helping Maine kids. Always remember, DON’T QUIT! Stay Fit!”
“I’ve always believed in the power of exercise and that real change needs to start with our kids,” said Jake Steinfeld, Chairman of NFGFC. “Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School, Gorham Middle School and SeDoMoCha School share that same philosophy and because of their efforts, each school was gifted a new state of the art DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center. They are now on their way to helping me achieve my vision of building a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world. Congratulations to the schools and a big thank you to Governor Mills for welcoming us into the great state of Maine.”
Every year since 2012, the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils gifts twelve DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers to four states. To date, the NFGFC’s DON’T QUIT! program has rolled out in 34 states and has delivered nearly 500 DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers. This year, the program is delivering fitness centers to Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Mississippi. Each year, Jake and Governors join forces at the winning schools to cut the ribbon on their newly installed fitness center.
Each $100,000 fitness center is financed through public/private partnerships with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding. Fitness in Motion provides all the fitness equipment, which is manufactured right here in the United States. The foundation’s goal is to build a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world.
For more information about the National Foundation, visit www.natgovfit.org.