Lighten Up East Texas Kicks Off Saturday

TYLER — Today, participants from all over East Texas will join together to Lighten Up and make East Texas a healthier community in which to live. Sponsored in part by Brookshire Grocery Company, Allen Samuels Tyler, and Lighthouse Graphics, this event, the first of its kind in East Texas, will be held at Bergfeld Park in Tyler from 9:00am to noon.

Lighten Up East Texas is a regional weight loss challenge, created by the Fit City Coalition, in which individuals, teams, and communities can compete to lose weight and improve their health over a six-month period. Participants will receive entries into a grand prize drawing for every 5 percent of weight lost, tracked from an official weigh-in at the start and end of the challenge. There is no cost to participate. Participants can weigh in on November 3 at the event, or they can choose from an official weigh in site. Donated by Allen Samuels Tyler, the grand prize drawing will be a new 2013 Dodge Dart. Other prizes will be given away as well.

The event will feature vendor booths with health resources, the first official weigh-in for the competition, Inspiration Award winners, and much more. Organizations interested in participating with a booth or demonstration must register through the website, listed below.

George Roberts, chief executive officer of NET Health and co-chair of Fit City; Dave Berry, editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph and Fit City co-chair; and Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass are all voicing their support of the effort. You can visit http://www.LightenUpEastTexas.com for more information, including official weigh-in.