Kelowna Secondary School students host exercise challenge

The students of Kelowna Secondary School have set their sights on making a local and global impact this February with the school's first Move 4 Mana challenge.

The 30-day challenge was launched on Feb. 10 by student Toni Willoughby, in collaboration with the school's Global Awareness Club. 

It encourages students to get active by logging minutes of exercise on the Active for Good app. A wide variety of sports are counted in the list of options, including golf, gymnastics and Tai chi. 

Minutes then convert into points, which go toward the purchase of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) packets for children in South Sudan suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition. 

The packet is a carefully formulated nutritional product for at-risk kids that looks and tastes just like peanut butter, says Willoughby.

"It creates a life-saving transition for these kids suffering with SAM. They consume it three times a day for six weeks and it brings them back to a healthy state."

The challenge, sponsored by the Food for Famine Society, also partners with World Vision Canada and Mana Nutrition to ensure the packets are delivered directly to families in need. 

Willoughby gathered the support of many local businesses to help fund incentive prizes for students taking part in the challenge, including Landmark Cinemas, Pushor Mitchell Lawyers, Big White Ski Resort and Sportchek. 

She hopes that in years to come, other schools will participate in the challenge. 

"It’s so amazing and unique. It has both a local and a global impact which is so amazing, and it encourages students to get active which I think is really important especially in high schools with teenagers... it's not every day you can say you can save a life."