Free Health Fair at Brooklyn Center HS

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. - Youth Determined to Succeed, or YDS, is putting on its very first health fair this weekend. For 11 years the organization has been helping kids get healthy and learn to eat right.

Now, former Gopher football player, Melvin Anderson, is providing a free event to reach so many more kids. YDS has three, 10 week sessions a year where kids participate in all types of physical activities.

The kids take health classes to learn about obesity, stroke, diabetes, and more.

It's about more than just the physical. It's also about building character and work ethic. 100 percent of the children have graduated from high school and 90 percent go on to college.

This Saturday's health fair will have experts on hand teaching kids about healthy choices at McDonalds or the grocery store.

Also, workout experts will lead activities like yoga and running.

In the regular 10 week YDS program many of the kids lose weight and inches, but Executive Director, Melvin Anderson, recalls one kid who made great strides in his ability to run.

"The more important thing was he increased his cardiac endurance over 400 percent,” Anderson. “The young man started at three minutes. By the time he ended the program cycle he was running 15 minutes non stop."

The free health fair is at Brooklyn Center High School on Saturday June 25th. Check out youthdetermined.org for more information.