's motd Monday July 21, 2008

[Guest guest]

RICHARD GOES TO CONGRESS!

Monday, 21 July 2008

Who would have ever thought that this would happen? Two years ago, Anne, Dana, Janet, Kathy and I sat down and put together a questionnaire about Physical Education, (PE for short), in our public schools. We put the questionnaire up on my website and I did lots of TV shows and other press asking everyone to visit my website and fill it out. And boy, did they!

We received over 60,000 completed questionnaires and did we ever get an earful about what was happening with PE in our schools here in these United States. And, I have to say, the news was pretty grim. We discovered that PE had been sharply reduced or even eliminated from many of our public school's curriculums. Some schools offered only 15 minutes of PE for the whole week and some schools had taken out PE altogether. PE had been reduced so drastically as a result of changes brought on by the No Child Left Behind Act. So now, with this information in hand, we put together a letter-writing campaign. I went back on television, radio and to many local newspapers asking people to write their own Congressmen, the Presidential candidates and to write Congressman . He is Chairperson of the House Education and Labor Committee. And, thankfully, the letters came pouring in to Washington!And because of the success of that letter-writing campaign, I'm on my way to Washington. I'm going to testify in a Congressional Hearing on the importance of adding back physical education to our schools and helping reduce the epidemic of childhood obesity that faces our country's school children.

On Thursday, July 24th at 10AM, I will be sworn in to testify. My appearance before Congress will take place in the House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room. The address is 2175 Rayburn House Office Building. The testimonials will begin at 10AM and continue through 12 Noon.Immediately following the Hearing, we are going to have a big rally to get PE back into our public schools. The rally is taking place at Cannon Terrace, adjacent to the Cannon House Office Building. Do you live in the Washington, DC area? If you do, please come out and support us in this very important effort. Come to the hearing and to the rally and let's make an important statement here. Our kids are not healthy and we need to fix that. (For those who you who do not reside in the Washington, DC area, the hearings will be broadcast live on C-Span.) I'm excited, I'm nervous, I'm honored and, you can bet...I'm ready! Dear Lord, please watch over and lead me as I talk to all of these Congressmen.

I want to thank all again of you for taking the time to complete our questionnaire in the beginning. And for then writing your own Representatives in Congress and to those other government officials who needed to hear from us. You've all help make this happen, not for me but for the children of America. And if we are successful in getting PE back into our schools, then the next generation of America's school children will not have to suffer as this generation has.

You're all the best! Thank You again, so much for your help and I hope to see many of you in Washington!Love,