GREENFIELD — For kids at Mt. Vernon’s three elementary schools, it’s almost time to EAT.
A new program, called Kids Fit, is coming to the three schools this school year, starting near the end of August. It’s a program developed by the company Elite Athletic Trend, created by former NFL player Junior Aumavae and based out of Greenfield.
“We are going to set the trend in this community of what it means to be an elite athlete,” Aumavae said. “It doesn’t stop at athletics. We’re talking about academics at schools, community outreach. We’re also talking about the home, which is an opportunity for these kids to grow and really become leaders not only within sports but also within their households and ultimately grow up to be good parents.”
EAT is something Aumavae has been building toward his entire life. Growing up in a huge family — he has 10 sisters, two brothers and more than 50 nieces and nephews, now — he said he always knew a company like this, focusing on mentoring children through athletics, was his ultimate goal.
After retiring from the NFL and moving to Greenfield four years ago with his wife, Jenna, he started putting the pieces in place. Elite Athletic Trend was officially born over a year ago, and the company is set to spend the next three quarters with the Mt. Vernon elementary schools working with more than 1,500 kids.
The Kids Fit program will focus on kindergarten through fifth grade at all three Mt. Vernon elementaries, one school per quarter.
It’s broken into three phases.
The Get Moving phase is used to introduce who the company is, what it and the program are about, and its belief system.
The second phase, called Lettuce EAT, focuses on implementing the nutritional part of fitness.
The final phase, the anti-bullying phase, is where Aumavae really feels like EAT can make a positive change in children and mold them into leaders.
The Kids Fit program is the latest in offerings from EAT, which offers scholarships, has a spring skills camp, conducts a six-week summer program that focuses primarily on football, and a recovery program, which will run 10 weeks during the high school football season, allowing athletes to take part in Saturday morning recovery pool workouts like professional players do.
Members of the Mt. Vernon School Corporation first met Aumavae at a Greenfield Chamber meeting in the winter, where they learned about his company and how he could positively impact students.
In May they decided to run a trial session with EAT, letting Aumavae and his staff work with fourth- and fifth-graders from one elementary school. The session included children of all learning and physical abilities, and both the session and Aumavae left the school board members impressed.
“His team really engaged the students very well,” Maria Bond, director of community relations for the Mt. Vernon School Corporation, said. “We were impressed with the number of staff they had running it, it was extremely well organized. The kids were very much engaged and really paid attention. They wanted to be the best they can be — he motivates them to do so.
“He’s encouraging positive character traits, anti-bullying, being a positive leader, helping those around you. He’s really a great role model for the kids.”
Aumavae and the EAT staff put the kids through a workout while mentoring them throughout. He said they had roughly 250 kids taking part, high-fiving one another and filling the room with energy while wearing their EAT University T-shirts.
“By the end of the day, the kids were like, ‘Let’s EAT! Let’s EAT!,’” Aumavae said.
Bringing Aumavae and his team to Mt. Vernon and providing this opportunity was something Bond said the school district would not have been able to do without Hancock Health, the Mt. Vernon Education Foundation and each school’s PTOs buying in.
The program is set to run for five weeks at each elementary during the delayed start Wednesdays. It’s slated to start at Fortville Elementary on Aug. 22.
“We want to empower the kids that they can be the best that they can be,” Bond said. “We want them to continue to get better at everything they do. Impacting children directly is the ultimate goal — everybody here wants to make a difference, as does Junior. Our goals are aligned with him and that’s why we’re bringing him here.”
Aumavae said his goal for the Kids Fit program is to have more area schools get on board, and hopefully see more local companies get involved in partnering with his company.
So far, he said he’s happy with the development he’s seen in those who have worked with the company, along with the impact it’s already having on the community.
He’s passionate about the opportunity his business provides, getting to bring a unique experience to Hancock County and hopefully beyond. As the NFLPA secretary for Indiana, he works with 30 to 40 players in Indiana, which allows him to bring in other NFL athletes to help mentor kids.
The spring skills camp had eight NFL players, which included two Super Bowl winners, something he thinks helps his company stand out and can really help make a difference to the kids. He’s currently planning a spring celebrity golf outing, where people can play alongside former NFL players.
Everything Aumavae and EAT are doing is aimed at bettering the community and offering unique, impactful perspectives and experiences, he said. He’s excited for the future, and he’s ready to get back to the Mt. Vernon schools in just a few weeks to get Kids Fit rolling.
“I know for a fact it’s going to be a great thing for this county,” Aumavae said. “We’re looking forward to more schools getting on board.”