International Fitness Star Billy Blanks Hosts Wellness Training for the Boys & Girls Clubs

DANA POINT, Calif. - Oct. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- International health and fitness celebrity and creator of Tae Bo® Fitness Billy Blanks, the Official Fitness Expert for the 2014 Dana Point Turkey Trot, is joining the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce to inspire the community’s youngest residents to get active.

On Friday, Oct. 24, Blanks alongside Drumstick, the Turkey Trot’s official mascot, will take to the outdoors with children from the Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley to encourage activity, movement and healthy eating with healthy snacks provided by Turkey Trot sponsor, Smart & Final. It’s a fun, educational event that melds with the club’s Triple Play program, which promotes nutritious habits, social recreation and the value of keeping fit.

“We are excited to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley, Billy Blanks and Smart & Final to promote fitness and healthy living to our local youth,” said Heather Johnston, executive director of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. “Nationally, and locally, the Boys & Girls Club does an amazing job working with and empowering their members. Part of that is empowering kids to stay active, and we are proud to work together to show kids that fitness can be fun.”

In addition to providing an afternoon of fitness, the Chamber of Commerce has chosen the local Boys & Girls Club branch as a Turkey Trot benefitting charity. Each year, the Chamber donates 100 percent of its net profits raised during the Thanksgiving Day race to area nonprofits. And in the race’s 37-year history, the Chamber of Commerce has donated more than $500,000 in total.

This isn’t the first time the Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley either. Last year, during National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 150 Boys & Girls Club members took to the club’s fields—clad in turkey sunglasses and drumstick headbands—to race through an obstacle course. The event introduced members to the Kids’ Gobble Wobble held during the annual Turkey Trot, in which they trained for by running 1-mile a week leading up to the race.

The addition of Blanks is a new element to reaching younger audiences this Turkey Trot season.

“This is a special year for us as we have Bills Blanks as out Official Turkey Trot Trainer,” Johnston said. “Billy is an incredible role model for kids and is such an ambassador for healthy living.”

Blanks’ training and informational session begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley’s Via Positiva branch, located at 1 Via Positiva in San Juan Capistrano. Blanks will discuss the value of fitness and will cheer members on as they round the obstacle course.

Blanks recently opened the Billy Blanks Ancient Arts Studio in Dana Point, featuring fitness classes and programs taught by Blanks to benefit the mind, body and soul with the goal of helping even more people achieve greatness. For more information about the Billy Blanks Ancient Arts Studio, visit www.BillyBlanksAncientArts.com. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley serves more than 2,000 south Orange County students through after-school programming at three locations in San Juan Capistrano, Aliso Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita. These neighborhood-based clubs provide a safe environment where kids are encouraged to learn and grow. Learn more at www.bgccapo.com.

About the 37th annual Dana Point Turkey Trot:

Produced by the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Run Racing, the Dana Point Turkey Trot is the nation’s sixth largest turkey trot in the country. Named a top Thanksgiving destination by Fodor’s Travel and one of America’s best Thanksgiving Day runs by Fitness Magazine, the Dana Point Turkey Trot has become an Orange County tradition, attracting more than 17,000 participants to its 5K, 10K, Kids’ Gobble Wobble runs and two-day health and fitness expo. Featuring scenic routes through the picturesque Dana Point Harbor and Doheny State Beach, the Turkey Trot offers something for every member of the family. Since its conception, the Dana Point Turkey Trot has raised more than $500,000 for local nonprofits. The Dana Point Turkey Trot is a USA Track & Field (USATF) sanctioned and certified event.

For more information, to register for a race or to become a sponsor, visit TurkeyTrot.com (http://www.turkeytrot.com/).