Families celebrate children

A celebration of families and healthy kids at the Pottstown High School on April 29 was an affair to remember.

Hundreds of people attended the 11th annual PEAK Pottstown Celebrates Young Children event which was combined with the local YMCA Healthy Kids Day. PEAK stands for Pottstown Action for Kindergarten Readiness and is an early education program.

There was soccer. There was balloon art. There was even a music video. Community organizations informing the public about area resources were mixed in with a variety of fun family activities. Fitness was also an important aspect of the celebration form obstacle courses to team sports like flag football.

“We had a lot of people come out today and it’s just great to see all the families and children come support the event,” said Mary Rieck, PEAK coordinator.

Rieck said a cool aspect of this year’s event was having musicians David Charles and Aaron Christ of Fresh Start Fitness shoot a music video during the kid celebration. Charles and Christ perform fitness concerts at schools which combines music and exercise. The duo performed a song called “I Want to Live” which is about being on a healthy life journey that involves exercise and nutrition. Families on April 29 joined the musicians on screen for a scene of the music video.

Valerie Jackson, PEAK community engagement coordinator, said the music video helped get the kids moving by having them dance.

“It (the song) talks about healthy eating in a fun way where you can learn,” she said.

Charles said the Pottstown community and area organizations are making wellness a priority which is why part of the music video was shot during the celebration.

“The more we can put a spotlight on what Pottstown is doing already, the better,” he said.

Christ said the official music video will hopefully be ready for viewing by the time the new school year starts in the fall. He said there will be a release party and they want Pottstown community members including those that were in the video to come watch the premiere.

Pottstown Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez happened to be one of one of the people dancing in the crowd that was being recorded for the video.

“David Charles is a wonderful benefit to this community,” he said. “This is a vibrant community that cares about each other. I’m just so happy to be a part of it.”

MICHILEA PATTERSON — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Radee Murray, 13, does a kicking move on a mannequin during a celebration for families at Pottstown High School on Saturday. Murray is a student at Red Cloud Kung Fu of Pottstown.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA MoniYah Pearson-Henderson, 12, dances alongside the YMCA mascot during the combined Pottstown Celebrates Young Children event and the YMCA Healthy Kids Day at the high school on Saturday.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Aaron Christ, left, and David Charles, right, of Fresh Start Fitness get families hyped up while shooting a music video about eating healthy during a celebration for families at the Pottstown High School on Saturday.