Dallas Cowboys helping to tackle childhood obesity

by Candice Benjamin of DFW Reporting

The Dallas Cowboys are tackling the threat of childhood obesity with physical education.

“You can do anything you want to,” said Dallas Cowboys running back Tashard Choice, iIf you have dreams and aspirations to be the best you can be.”

Inspiring kids was the focus at Medrano Middle School in Dallas. The Dallas Cowboys and United Way are showing kids the importance of staying in school and living healthy.

This visit from Choice along with Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware and safety Patrick Watkins means a lot to kids like Jose Gallardo.

“Three Cowboys came to try to motivate us to get more active in sports,” said Medrano Middle School student Jose Gallardo. “I’m having a lot of fun and I hope the kids are having a lot of fun too.”

“This is something for the kids,” said Dallas Cowboys safety Patrick Watkins. “If this is something that keeps them happy, I’ll come out here and make them happy every week.”

Gallardo’s PE teacher Cory Faber knows that for kids at Medrano these moments are rare.

“These big time football players came here to see us,” said Medrano Middle School head football coach Cory Faber. “It’s priceless. You can’t put a price on it.”

The Dallas Cowboys and United Way presented a check for $2,500 for the kids at Medrano Middle School.

“That money I’d really like to see go toward equipment for our PE program,” said Faber. “We’re set on football. We can use that money in a lot of different ways for PE.”

This was without a doubt a big day for kids at Medrano but the players here see it as a special day for them too.

“I was a kid just like them before,” said Choice. “I used to love PE.”