Sylvia’s Story

“Teaching kids these healthy habits early on is so important.”

Sylvia Smith is a strong advocate for providing  opportunities for children to learn about the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle.  Now she is sharing her passion by helping kids learn about fitness and nutrition as the Health and Wellness Coordinator for H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow, Inc. H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow is a participant in Project R.U.N. (Reaching Underserved Neighborhoods), a partner program between United Way’s fitUnited initiative and Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon (P3R) that seeks to teach children in underserved communities how to eat well and stay active.

“I enjoy being able to give back to the community by volunteering at H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow,” Sylvia said. “Seeing the kids laughing and smiling every week is so rewarding.”

Sylvia is responsible for coordinating the weekly Project R.U.N. activities. The program helps the kids to grow significantly each week. “As the program has progressed the kids have become much more receptive to it,” Sylvia remarked. “They’re more interested in fruits and vegetables now and they aren’t afraid to ask questions about the lessons.”

At the end of the program, participating kids will receive a brand new pair of tennis shoes, which they’ll wear to run in P3R’s Kids of Steel run during the Pittsburgh Marathon weekend in May. Sylvia hopes the children will gain inspiration from the volunteer coaches and take advantage of the opportunities that accompany a healthy, active lifestyle. “These kids enjoy the program,” Sylvia said. “There aren’t a lot of children’s running programs in the inner-city, so this is a good way to introduce them to the activity.”

Sylvia hopes the program can continue to grow and looks forward to seeing the kids of H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow cross the finish line on race day. Donate here to help make sure each one of them makes it to the finish line!