Boston Public Schools Superintendent Chang and students celebrate UNICEF Kid Power with local Target

Boston Public Schools Superintendent Chang and students celebrate UNICEF Kid Power with local Target representatives

Elementary school students host pep rally to get active and save lives of malnourished children around the world

BOSTON — Monday, March 28, 2016 — Boston Public Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang today joined President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl Stern, New England Region U.S. Fund for UNICEF Managing Director Matthew Bane and Boston Public School students in hosting a pep rally to celebrate the impact of the UNICEF’s Kid Power Boston team. 

UNICEF Kid Power gives kids the power to save lives. By getting active with the UNICEF Kid Power Band, kids go on missions to learn about new cultures and earn points. Points unlock funding from partners, parents and fans, and funds are used by UNICEF to deliver lifesaving packets of therapeutic food to severely malnourished children around the world. The UNICEF Kid Power school program is a teacher-led classroom experience that leverages easy-to-use technology to promote fitness and global citizenship. Boston kids have taken enough steps to walk the length of the Boston Marathon more than 12,000 times!

“Our students in Boston have big hearts,” said Mayor Martin Walsh. “They've experienced their own unique challenges and have developed a strong compassion for others through interacting with their families, teachers and classmates. This curriculum takes that experience another step further by enabling to make nutrition packets available to malnourished children. We're less than two weeks away from One Boston Day, and this program embodies the values that we have in Boston: be kind and spread goodwill, and most importantly, give back.”

Kids are encouraged to earn 5 Kid Power Points per day, which requires an activity level equivalent to taking approximately 12,000 steps per day. Earning 10 Kid Power Points unlocks one packet of lifesaving Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food.

“I extend my gratitude to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for bringing Kid Power to Boston,” said Superintendent Chang. “This initiative offers our students an opportunity to be healthy and active, to study other cultures, and take on a philanthropic approach to helping others. They will have a positive impact on the world, and we’re glad to be a part of this movement of generosity and kindness.”

UNICEF Kid Power is a program of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, and is made possible through the generous support of Presenting Sponsors Star Wars: Force for Change and Target. Kid Power Boston is also supported locally by City Sponsor, John Hancock, parents and fans. Target local stores proudly support UNICEF Kid Power.

“Every step that Boston kids take as part of the UNICEF Kid Power school program will bring them one step closer to ending global malnutrition while teaching them the importance of getting active and the world around them,” said Matthew Bane, Managing Director, New England region, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “We’re excited that Kid Power is returning to Boston for the second year, and we’re thankful to Boston Public Schools for cheering on the Boston Kid Power team and supporting the program.”

More than 159 million children worldwide are malnourished, and one in four children in the United States is inactive. The UNICEF Kid Power program tackles both of these issues together by getting children to be active themselves and providing funding for support of nutrient-rich therapeutic food packets nutrition.