The Go Healthy Challenge Continues!

The Go Healthy Challenge Continues!

Four Role Models Accomplish Biggest Feats Yet and Truly Embrace Healthier Lifestyles

The Next On-Air Installment of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Airs Sunday, September 17, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon

The Worldwide Day of Play Celebration of the Go Healthy Challenge Takes Place Saturday, September 30

NEW YORK, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the course of the last five months of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, the four role models have proven that kids can take the lead when it comes to living healthier lifestyles. The next installment of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge airs Sunday, September 17, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon. With the end of the on-air Go Healthy Challenge mini-series approaching, the kids take their individual challenges one step further and accomplish some of their biggest achievements to date, while inspiring others to "go healthy," including: meeting with the local Mayor to discuss a healthier community, throwing the honorary first pitch at a local baseball game, participating in a fitness extravaganza, and proactively prepping for a new, healthy school year.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060427/NYTH101-a )

The Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, which follows four real life kids over a six month period in the quest to make their lives healthier, is a joint effort between Nickelodeon -- the number-one entertainment brand for kids -- and The Alliance for a Healthier Generation -- an initiative between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. To date, more than 132,000 kids have registered to take the Challenge in their own communities. The 2006 on-air campaign will culminate on Nickelodeon's third annual Worldwide Day of Play on Saturday, September 30, where the network will go dark for three hours and return with an on-air celebration of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.

In month five, the four role model kids celebrate the great strides they have made over the past months to make healthier food choices and become increasingly active. Although the Challengers are enjoying the rewards of an improved lifestyle, they are most certainly not resting on their laurels. This installment marks some of their biggest feats yet!

- "Barrier Breaker" Wes and his family have been working hard, and now
they're the experts! At the Columbus Catfish baseball stadium, the
family shares their stories and tips on how to get healthy with fans.
Additionally, the family will also throw out the first pitch of the
game.

- "Emerging Athlete" Bianca shares her love of physical activity and
receives an offer from the YMCA to join them in a fitness class
extravaganza afternoon in a local park. Bianca, her step-mom and Coach
Heidi all sample different fitness classes and celebrate Bianca's
successes with some healthy smoothies.

- "Activist" Chris writes a letter to San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom,
requesting a meeting to discuss healthier food options in schools.
Chris also volunteers to pass out fruit at the Stadium to Stadium
Race/Walk - an event where the goal is to raise health awareness,
particularly among youth, in the southeast sector of San Francisco.
During the course of the event, Chris bumps into Mayor Newsom, who
talks to Chris about his ideas for change in the community.

- "Health Warrior" Ayesha visits her school in preparation for how she's
going to keep her healthy habits going once the busy school year has
started. She speaks with the head of her school's nutrition program
about healthy options that will be available in the coming school year,
and speaks with the head of the Physical Education program in her
school to see what opportunities are offered.

TurboNick, Nickelodeon's online broadband video service available on Nick.com, will continue to air personal footage from the four role models personal video diaries. In addition, the October issue of Nickelodeon Magazine (available in mid-September) will feature figure skater Sasha Cohen, where she shares a typical day in her life including her food choices and her physical activity, in her own handwriting. The September issue, currently on sale, features three real kid activists, who, like Chris from the Go Healthy Challenge, are working to improve health and wellness in their respective communities.

Lending support to the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge initiative is the Go Healthy Challenge Champions Network. New members include the National Wildlife Federation and National 4-H Council. These new members join existing Champions including local affiliates of the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, the National Association of Sports and Physical Education, National Recreation Parks Association, National Rural Health Association and more. These groups lend their support to the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge on a grass roots level, and help bolster kids and community participation and awareness of the campaign and its goals, as well as participate in Worldwide Day of Play.

About The Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association partnered in May of 2005 to create a new generation of healthy Americans by addressing one of the nation's leading public health threats -- childhood obesity. The initiative will focus on preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for children overall.

The Alliance aims to target several areas that the group hopes will spark change and slow the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the U.S., and encourage healthier lifestyles for young people. The effort will focus on four key areas: industry; schools, healthcare professionals and kids.

For more information on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, please visit: www.healthiergeneration.org.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is currently in its fourth year of its award-winning pro- social initiative, "Let's Just Play." In November 2005, "Let's Just Play" entered into a partnership with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation to combat the spread of childhood obesity. The three organizations combined forces on a comprehensive media and public awareness campaign, encouraging young people to engage in healthy and active lifestyles. Nickelodeon is using its multimedia platforms and the "Let's Just Play" campaign, working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other partners, to reach millions of young people across the country and spread the message of the Healthier Generation movement.

Nickelodeon has committed more than $30 million and 10% of its air to health and wellness messaging. Over the past 2 years, Nickelodeon has also awarded approximately $2 million in grants and through its "Let's Just Play Giveaway" to schools and after-school programs to help provide resources that will create and expand opportunities for physical play. For more information on Nickelodeon, visit www.Nick.com, www.Nickjr.com or www.teachers.nick.com.

Nickelodeon, now in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060427/NYTH101-a
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-7326; or Courtney
O'Donnell, William J. Clinton Foundation, +1-212-348-0360; or Kelly Kennai
Grunig, American Heart Association, +1-202-785-7925

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.healthiergeneration.org/

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