PIERRE, S.D. — Tuesday, Governor Kristi Noem and fitness icon Jake “Body by Jake” Steinfeld announced the winners of the DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center campaign, awarding three West River schools $300,000 in fitness equipment. The schools picked by the DON’T QUIT! campaign are Custer Elementary School in Custer, Newell School in Newell, and Sturgis Williams Middle School in Sturgis.
“Exercising builds both physical and mental strength. We want South Dakota to be a leader in teaching kids the building blocks to health and wellness throughout their lives,” said Governor Noem. “There were so many great applications that really showed how South Dakota schools are making fitness a priority. Congratulations to the three winning schools. And thank you to Jake Steinfeld and the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils for their generous support of our students, their families, and our schools.”
Steinfeld, who chairs the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils (NFGFC), reached out to Governor Noem earlier this year about a public-private partnership to provide the fitness center equipment free of charge through the DON’T QUIT! Fitness Campaign. By the end of this year, the NFGFC will have gifted fitness centers to schools in 40 states with plans to reach all 50 states in the coming years.
“We had a tremendous response from schools throughout the great state of South Dakota. None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of Governor Kristi Noem, who helped make this campaign a huge success by putting the health and well-being of South Dakota’s kids first,” said Jake Steinfeld. “These three schools really embodied our mission of building a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world. I’m thrilled to announce that Custer Elementary School, Newell School, and Sturgis Williams Middle School are all being awarded brand new $100,000 DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers. Congratulations to all, we look forward to visiting these three schools during our ribbon-cutting ceremonies this fall!”
Each fitness center is financed through public-private partnerships with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Anthem Foundation, Wheels Up, and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding. My Fitness Store Commercial provides all the fitness equipment. The foundation’s goal is to build a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world.
