Annika Sorenstam and Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe Celebrate Statewide Implementation of SPARK Physical Education to Fight

LITTLE ROCK, AR, Apr 06 (MARKET WIRE) --
On March 11th, Annika Sorenstam, the most dominant player in women's
golf; Honorable Mike Beebe, Governor of Arkansas; and Ginger Beebe, First
Lady of Arkansas, presented the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission
(ATSC's) awards for its 2010 Child Wellness Intervention Project (CWIP)
Grant Program in a ceremony at the Arkansas State Capitol.

Arkansas ranks second in the nation for childhood obesity, and the
Commission's new CWIP initiative will focus on reducing childhood obesity
by increasing physical activity through quality physical education
programs and providing critical health education. The Commission has
partnered with the Arkansas Department of Education's Office of
Coordinated School Health, Arkansas Children's Hospital, and the Arkansas
Center for Health Improvement to accomplish this goal.

The Commission was encouraged to attract the attention of golfing great,
Annika Sorenstam. Mrs. Sorenstam is best known for her domination of
women's golf in the last two decades. Her foundation, the Annika
Foundation, has devoted significant resources to developing and
implementing physical fitness and nutrition programs for children across
the United States. Mrs. Sorenstam chose to endorse the Commission's new
CWIP grant program based on its use of grade-specific physical education
curriculum and equipment -- SPARK -- which her Foundation has recently
partnered with.

"SPARK is a tremendous program that has the potential to dramatically
improve the health of thousands of Arkansas students," said Mrs.
Sorenstam. "I have a passion to get people active, especially children,
and CWIP is providing the tools necessary to make sure students know and
experience the importance of maintaining their body and their mind."

At the grant ceremony, the Commission awarded $578,704.10 in grants to 56
individual schools in 36 districts around the state. In the 2010 school
year, over 12,000 students will participate in CWIP.

About SPARK

SPARK is a research-based organization that disseminates evidence-based
Physical Education, After School, Early Childhood, and Coordinated School
Health programs to teachers and recreation leaders serving Pre-K through
12th grade students. Each SPARK program strives to foster environmental
and behavioral change by providing a coordinated package of highly active
curriculum, on-site teacher training, extensive follow-up support, and
content-matched equipment.

Since 1989, SPARK has provided curriculum, training, and consultation to
over 100,000 teachers and youth leaders, representing many thousands of
schools, organizations, and agencies worldwide. For more information on
SPARK, visit www.sparkpe.org or email spark@sparkpe.org or call
1-800-sparkpe.

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