Lowell kicks off its Healthy Summer

Lowell kicks off its Healthy Summer
By MALLARY JEAN TENORE, Sun Correspondent
Lowell Sun

LOWELL -- Swimming, jumping rope and karate.

These are just a few of the activities that Zamiya Marshburn, 10, hopes to engage in as part of this year's Healthy Summer program.

"I want to go on fun field trips this summer," said Marshburn.

Alyssia Plante, 11, echoed a similar sentiment, saying she hopes to play basketball and take free swimming lessons offered by Girls Incorporated.

"I would be bored otherwise. I wouldn't have anything to do," she said.

Marshburn and Plante were among dozens of children who attended yesterday's Healthy Summer Program Kick-Off Party at the JFK Civic Center.

In its 10th year, the Healthy Summer Program is a collaboration of 17 nonprofit organizations that provide recreational activities and healthy meals to children 18 and under.

Allison Carroll, coordinator of Youth Services for the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, said this year's participation will hopefully increase thanks to a $300 donation from the Youth Development Fund of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, which enabled the department to print 17,000 informational fliers for distribution throughout the city's schools.

Some of the activities featured in this year's program include karate lessons at Tiger An's TaeKwonDo Center on Middlesex Street; job-search assistance classes from the Career Center of Lowell; and computer classes at St. Anne's Episcopal Church.

Peter Faticanti, Parks and Recreation Department program director, said the variety of activities offered not only helps occupy students during the summer, but also provides them with future jobs.

Many children who take free swimming lessons at the YMCA later return to become lifeguards or recreation assistants, he said.

"I think we see a lot of kids who are doing things they shouldn't be doing during the summer," Faticanti said. "They're better off with (the Summer Healthy Program) because they're doing things they wouldn't normally do."

Children will also have the opportunity to eat free healthy meals, which will be offered Monday through Friday by Lowell public schools, Community Teamwork Inc., and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

"We expect to serve 350 lunches a day," said Amy Pessia, executive director of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

Last year, the food bank served about 5,500 meals throughout the summer, or 140 meals a day at seven different sites, Pessia said. An additional site was added this year to accommodate the growing number of children in need of free meals.

Many of the sites will also feature visits from the Artship Enterprise, a bright red and yellow craftmobile equipped with movable tables and arts-and-crafts supplies. Local artists will travel in the artmobile, offering free art classes to students who may otherwise have difficulty staying out of trouble without the structure of school.

Mayor Bill Martin said the importance of offering a program to keep kids entertained and off the streets during the down days of summer is key.

"It's a way to keep kids happy and safe," he said. "It's a model of what we do well here in Lowell. We unfortunately have kids who don't eat well except for when they're in school, so this is a way to get them fed and also help keep them out of trouble."