John R. Downes Elementary School of Newark, Delaware Receives Physical Education Grant from GOLO and Project Fit America

Newark, DE - January 31, 2023 - GOLO, the Delaware-based health and wellness solutions company, and Project Fit America (PFA), a national non-profit that creates and administers fitness in education programming for elementary and middle schools, today announced that John R. Downes Elementary School has been selected to receive a grant to support its physical education curriculum.

GOLO has committed $10,000 to support the pilot fitness program designed by Project Fit America, which is also intended to help children build social, character, and leadership skills. 

"This unique initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting healthy lifestyle programs in our corporate home state of Delaware," said Jennifer Brooks, President and Co-founder of GOLO. “We are thrilled to play a role in bringing Project Fit America and John R. Downes Elementary School together to deliver a fun and impactful physical education program for local students.”

John R. Downes Elementary School was selected for the grant by Project Fit America after conducting a months-long open call for proposals with all public schools in the state of Delaware, including Kent, Sussex, and New Castle counties.  

"The generosity of this grant from GOLO goes a long way to support our philosophy of building lifelong habits about health and wellness for our students," said Anne Park, Principal at John R. Downes Elementary School. "It is also exciting to see a local company from Delaware make this kind of commitment in our community."                      

The academic focus of the grant program is to create “physically educated” children and to empower them to take personal responsibility for their health with enthusiasm.  The program includes fitness equipment and a dynamic supplemental physical education curriculum with games, activities, and challenges for children.

Project Fit America also provides support to the school for two years along with on-site training with the school’s physical education teacher representative. 

"This grant from GOLO and Project Fit America is a great addition to our physical education program because it emphasizes social and critical thinking skills," said Connie Spedden, Physical Education Teacher at John R. Downes Elementary School. "The program also focuses on character development, which is really important for young children."

Project Fit America programs are designed to help increase children's fitness levels, and are customized to fit the specific needs of each individual school. Project Fit America programs are also intended to complement existing physical education programs and curricula.

"Christina School District is honored to have one of our amazing elementary schools as a recipient of this grant," said Nathalie Princilus, Supervisor of Unique Programs, Equity, Student and Staff Support, Christina School District. "The opportunities surrounding this partnership with GOLO and Project Fit America are very much aligned with the district's strategic intent of servicing the needs of the whole child. Throughout the course of the program's implementation, we look forward to learning from the team at Downes on strategies to support our students in developing autonomy to wellness goals."

GOLO empowers individuals and communities by helping them take control of their health and wellness. Click here to learn more about our charitable giving initiatives. 

"We are extremely proud of our partnership with GOLO," adds Stacey Cook, Executive Director of Project Fit America. "Their generous donation will help us to support, create and infuse new fitness activities into the school's existing physical education program, impacting nearly 400 students and their families."