[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING SOFIA VICTORIA de la PENA ON FOUNDING THE FIT KIDS DAY 
                               NON-PROFIT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2015

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sofia 
Victoria de la Pena on her work founding Fit Kids Day, and establishing 
the group in the South Florida community.
  Sofia Victoria was a ninth grader at Carrollton School of the Sacred 
Heart in Coconut Grove, FL when she recognized an increased need for 
health programs for children. She wanted to add to the work being done 
to combat childhood obesity, and came up with a plan. Her idea was an 
entire day focused on fitness, which became known as Fit Kids Day.
  To get the event started, Sofia Victoria reached out to leading 
students at other schools to be ambassadors for the program. The 
students walked throughout their neighborhoods, to spread awareness for 
the event and attract community support. Local businesses chipped in to 
help with the first event, providing services and food to the 
participants, which were offered free of charge. Since the first Fit 
Kids Day, the program has expanded, and multiple cities have organized 
their own events. In these cities, mayors or city managers organize a 
day of activities that are popular in their area.
  Fit Kids Day caught on as an event, and is now a nonprofit 
organization. The Presidential Fitness Counsel has since talked to 
Sofia Victoria about using the Fit Kids Day model for their 
organization. The event was created by kids, for kids, and offers many 
leadership opportunities. In addition, the program has helped introduce 
fitness ideas and plans to less fortunate communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate Sofia Victoria de la Pena 
on her accomplishment, and I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing her outstanding achievement. It is an honor to know a 
family that continues to work hard to improve their community every 
day.

                          ____________________