Wisconsin Student Led Charge to Improve Menu

Grace wanted to help make changes to her Wisconsin elementary school’s cafeteria menu. Fuel Up to Play 60, a school-based program created by America’s dairy farmers and the NFL with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided her a path to make that happen.

“Our school wasn’t as healthy as it should have been,” she said. “There was a lot of greasy food so we switched to whole-wheat products and amped up how much milk we drank. I saw a lot of changes and because of that, people are happier and healthier.”

The positive changes at school also made a difference at home.

“We drink a lot more milk and eat a lot more fruits and vegetables and I’m also taking part in more sports,” she said. “I’m just a happier and more energetic person.”

Grace, now a seventh-grader at Einstein Middle School in Appleton, Wis., was inspired to become active with Fuel Up to Play 60 when Green Bay Packers star Jordy Nelson visited her elementary school to talk about the program. She was hooked instantly.

“I saw what a great program it is and it included all of the things I like – healthy eating and physical activity,” she said. “I immediately fell in love with it.”

She also learned leadership skills from the program and has become Wisconsin’s Fuel Up to Play 60 state ambassador. This allows her to participate in national meetings with other ambassadors and meet many professional business leaders.

“The more I have been in it, the more I realized it’s not just about physical fitness and nutrition,” she said. “It’s about leadership, too, and it’s given me the tools to be a better leader and inspire others.”