(PRWEB) July 17, 2005

Cross Gates Club, a comprehensive fitness center located in Slidell, a suburb of New Orleans, has provided an area teenager in need with a six-month scholarship to its all-fitness Pontchartrain location.

Another six-month membership has been pledged by childhood obesity advocate group, LouieÂ’s Kids, on the condition that the teen makes a significant change in her weight during the first six months.

LouieÂ’s Kids, founded by Louis Yuhasz, provides overweight and obese children and teenagers scholarships to attend weight loss and behavior modification camp. The New Orleans teenÂ’s application was one of the dozens Yuhasz receives every year from overweight and obese teens, desperate for help.

Financially, the organization can only distribute so many scholarships a year. For those children who are not selected, Yuhasz works to find other ways to make a healthy difference in their lives.

The New Orleans teen expressed a desire to join a gym, so Yuhasz set out to find her one. He contacted Cross Gates Club and gave them her story, sending Pontchartrain managers Joey Sanders and Dion Grossnickle some background information on LouieÂ’s Kids as well as a copy of the teenÂ’s application letter, which, as Sanders said, was all it took to bring them on board in helping this teen.

“Cross Gates is always trying to get out the message of health and fitness,” said Sanders. “We are a community-based organization and when we have the opportunity to help someone in the area, we are happy to.”

The six month fitness scholarship includes enrollment in Cross Gates’ “Commit to Fit” program. The teen will meet with a certified trainer three times over the course of 12 weeks. First to evaluate her current weight and health and determine a plan for her, then to familiarize her with the actual workout equipment, and finally to asses her progress and determine whether or not the program is working for her.

“It’s awful having to turn any child down for a scholarship, but it’s great to be able to provide another way to get these kids off to a good start in changing their lifestyles,” said Yuhasz. “This amazing girl in New Orleans is anxious for a change and the people at Cross Gates Club totally stepped up to the plate.”

Yuhasz founded Louie’s Kids in honor of his father “Big Louie,” who weighed nearly 550 pounds at the time of his death in 2001. The number of scholarships available each year depends on the private donations and monies generated through fundraisers. This year, Yuhasz expects to send eight children to camp on scholarships.

It has been estimated that this generation of children will be the first to have a lower life expectancy than their parents due to complications of obesity. LouieÂ’s Kids aims to reverse this trend by helping overweight and obese children make healthy changes in time to impact their futures. To learn more about LouieÂ’s Kids, make a donation, or download an application, visit www.louieskids.org.

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