Ep. 46: Stacey Cook, Project Fit America

Ep. 46: Stacey Cook, Project Fit America Kate Cherichello 30:23

This week’s episode of Be The Good with Kate combines both my entertainment and fitness ‘worlds’ as I get to welcome Stacey Cook, founder of Project Fit America, to the show.

Over 30 years ago, at a prior job in fitness sales, Stacey noted how many donation requests for school fitness equipment the company was receiving, and realized there was quite a need to be filled. Budgets were and continue to be so limited for many schools, and unfortunately the difference in distribution of wealth in schools across the country is wide.

“What if I were to sell the idea of adopting schools to corporate America?” At 28, Stacey quit her job to throw herself into this work — and without a college degree. She explains she knew nothing about creating a nonprofit, nor did she have an education background, so she “lived at the library” and went out and started meeting everyone she could.

This was pre-Internet: when she saw a potential donor in hospitals, she bought a book listing every hospital in the country and started calling…

She called 600. 596 said have a good day. Four said yes. And that is all she needed.

Thanks to these four hospitals, in just a year Project Fit America was already sending fitness equipment, training, and curriculum to 15 states.

Today, Project Fit America helps students across America. Schools receive grants for training, equipment, and curriculum. Stacey says less than a third of certified physical education teachers have needed training in fitness education. Sports and physiology, yes, but fitness training, no. So Project Fit America works to fill in the gaps and help students create healthy lifestyles that will take them through life.

Project Fit America works with schools to help students learn how Moving the body is so important to each day, how to incorporate fitness throughout life, sportsmanship, and more– not just for the students, but for the teachers as well. For them to be the example and be aware of what is missing in a school’s curriculum…There is so much interesting insight in my chat with Stacey. Enjoy, and check out the links below to learn more!

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Podcast platforms: Be The Good with Kate Cherichello
Website: katecherichello.com/bethegood

Project Fit America: