Cindy Crawford's Playgrounds
Hundreds of volunteers were up early in the nation's capital Friday morning. They're building the first of a dozen Smart Spot playgrounds that are going up in inner-city neighborhoods nationwide.
It is part of a program designed to get kids out of the house and off of the streets.
"Looks like it's going pretty good," supermodel Cindy Crawford tells The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "With enough people pitching in, and being volunteers, you can get a lot done very quickly."
Crawford joined PepsiCo and the not-for-profit organization KaBOOM! to launch a S.M.A.R.T. lifestyle program. As the spokesperson, she says, "KaBOOM!'s focus is healthy kids. The S.M.A.R.T. program, which is a PepsiCo initiative, focuses on all parts of the healthy lifestyle. One part is making healthy eating choices and the other part is exercise. I think a playground brings that for children. That's where children exercise."
For help on how to live healthier, families can log on to www.smartspot.com, and find tools on how to start the S.M.A.R.T. program.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for:
- Start with a healthy breakfast
- Move more
- Add more fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Remember to hydrate
- Try lower calories or fat
"As a mother myself, I want to know how to empower my kids to do it themselves, and also the best way to teach is lead by example," she says.
At the same time, people who commit to living S.M.A.R.T. can also nominate their town for a Smart Spot playground.
"We're building one a month and hope for one a year," Crawford says. "But hopefully, if the program really is working, we can keep it going for years and years, and find the communities that have the most need for those playgrounds."
Each playground is co-sponsored by a local non-profit group. For the first playground, CentroNía lent a hand. The group is a leading educational organization that serves Latino and African-American children and families in Washington, D.C.
The playground is built Habitat for Humanity-style and is constructed during the course of the day with the help of children and 200 volunteers from all over the D.C. area.