The General Mills Foundation, a leader in fostering youth nutrition and fitness, today launched the One Million PALA Challenge in partnership with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) President's Challenge program, Box Tops for Education® and the Amateur Athletic Union. Through the initiative, the General Mills Foundation will fund up to one million PALA for students across the United States. The program encourages children to lead healthy, active lifestyles.

General Mills Chief Executive Officer Ken Powell announced the One Million PALA Challenge on Wednesday, September 15 with President's Council Co-Chair Dominique Dawes, President's Council Executive Director Shellie Pfohl and President's Council members Allyson Felix, Cornell McClellan, Curtis Pride, Donna Richardson Joyner, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., and Stephen McDonough, M.D. at Maury Elementary School in Washington, D.C. At the launch, Dawes and her colleagues emphasized the benefits of fitness and challenged students to join the healthy living movement.

To fulfill its goal of funding one million PALA certificates, the General Mills Foundation will encourage American families to attend Box Tops Family Fitness Nights. The events, organized by Box Tops for Education volunteer Coordinators in up to 8,000 schools across the country, educate students and their families about the merits of healthy eating and exercise. Educational and fun, Box Tops Family Fitness Nights help students to kick-off the six-week fitness program and earn PALA certificates. Incentives, as well as materials developed by the University of Minnesota and the Amateur Athletic Union, encourage students to chart their progress and stay motivated during the fitness program.

?At General Mills, our mission is Nourishing Lives,? said Kendall Powell, General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. ?The General Mills Foundation is continuing to bring that mission to life today by encouraging one million children to earn PALA certificates and inviting American families to attend Box Tops Family Fitness Nights. We are proud to partner with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, Box Tops for Education, and the Amateur Athletic Union on this powerful initiative. Together, we can help families across America live healthier lives.?

?As the Co-Chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, I am thrilled to participate in the one million PALA challenge to promote the health living movement,? said Dominique Dawes, gold medal winning gymnast. ?By challenging more children to take control of their health, we are making great strides to battle obesity in America.?

Partners since 2002, General Mills and the President's Challenge have a long history of encouraging students to earn PALA certificates. Further, the General Mills Foundation is committed to helping children and families live healthy, active lives – it has allocated more than $18 million to nonprofit organizations supporting this goal since 2002. For more information about the General Mills Foundation, the One Million PALA Challenge, and attending a Box Tops Family Fitness Night, visit www.generalmills.com/foundation.

About General Mills Foundation:

The mission of the General Mills Foundation, celebrating 56 years of giving, is to nourish lives. In fiscal 2010, General Mills awarded $100 million to communities across the country, representing nearly 5 percent of company pretax profits. Of the total, the Foundation contributed $22.4 million in grants in the targeted areas of hunger and nutrition wellness, education, social services, and arts and culture. In addition, 82 percent of U.S. employees volunteer in the communities where they live and work.

About Box Tops for Education

America's schools have earned more than $300 million through Box Tops for Education since the program started in 1996. Thousands of schools have used that cash to purchase items such as computers, library books, art supplies and playground equipment. Schools can earn up to $80,000 per year to spend on anything they choose, by clipping Box Tops coupons from hundreds of products, shopping online through the Box Tops Marketplace and Reading Room, and purchasing items from My Class Essentials registries. To learn more about the program visit, www.btfe.com.

About the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) is a committee of up to 25 volunteer citizens appointed by the President to serve in an advisory capacity through the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Through its programs and partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors, PCFSN acts as a catalyst to promote healthy lifestyles through fitness, sports and nutrition programs and initiatives that educate, empower and engage Americans of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. For more information about the Council visit www.fitness.gov. The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) is an award within the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program, a program of the PCFSN. For more information, visit www.presidentschallenge.org.

About The Amateur Athletic Union

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), founded in 1888, is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion & development of amateur sports for individuals and teams of all ages. For the past two decades, the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition has selected the AAU as the sole administrator of the President's Challenge Program. For more information, visit www.aausports.org or call 407-934-7200.

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Burson-Marsteller for General Mills
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