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CHP program marks 20 years of fitness in schools

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CHP program marks 20 years of fitness in schools

In 2004, Capital Health Plan, a well-established health care provider in the Big Bend region, decided to invest in a new fitness and health program for children in hopes of developing a healthier community.

The Champions program is a unique public health solution to childhood obesity for school grades K-8. It follows a fitness regimen and curriculum designed to improve a child’s five physical qualities: flexibility, strength, speed, agility and endurance.

The program was piloted at Gilchrist Elementary School and over time was expanded to 40 other schools across the Big Bend, including 23 in Leon County.

“It’s incredible to think it started right here, we planted a seed right here at Gilchrist,” said Principal Scotty Crowe said. “The Champions program has helped our students improve their physical fitness, build their confidence and develop a strong sense of community.”

On Thursday, a celebration of the program’s 20-year partnership with the school brought out some of the biggest players in its launch, including Mayor John Dailey, who wrote the program’s first grant to CHP while operating his own consulting firm, and Bill Montford, Leon’s superintendent of schools at the time.

Adam Faurot, CEO of Titus Human Performance Solutions, said he created the Champions program to encourage students to become physically fit so they can also enhance their mental health.

“If we encourage healthier lifestyle choices at a younger age, those choices are reinforced into healthy adults,” Faurot told the Tallahassee Democrat.

Faurot has plenty of experience in athleticism as a former Florida State University baseball player, and a former player for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Boston Red Sox. His company, Titus Human Performance Solutions, hosts a number of programs related to health fitness, but none as sentimental to him as Champions, he said.

Originally from Blountstown, Faurot said he wished he had access to a program like Champions in his community.

“I love being a steward of this opportunity and I take this very serious, and I don’t want to miss a chance to help people be better,” Faurot told the Tallahassee Democrat.

Faurot said Capital Health Plan, the program’s sole sponsor, has spent millions of dollars over the last 20 years supporting the program that has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of students.

“Reaching the 20-year milestone is a testament to our partners’ commitment to improving children’s health and fitness, and we look forward to many more years of enhancing the lives and well-being of children throughout the community,” said Capital Health Plan CEO Sabin Bass in a press release.

Bass and Faurot both confirmed that within the next year they plan to expand the program’s outreach to Madison, Taylor and Franklin counties.

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3. 

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