Just Have a Ball is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises the awareness of play as a way to combat childhood obesity in Mississippi.
What We Do
In an assembly format, Just Have a Ball promotes to Mississippi elementary students the advantages of play and the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. Each student takes home a sports ball that does not require other equipment. Balls are also given to the Physical Education program to assist them in meeting the MS Healthy Students Act mandate of 150 minutes per week of activity based instruction. In addition, Just Have a Ball supports the Office of Healthy School’s initiative to promote family and community involvement in the school environment. Since its inception in January 2008, Just Have A Ball has given approximately 6,200 Mississippi elementary students a sports ball.
Our Mission
The mission of Just Have a Ball is to increase the opportunities for Mississippi elementary students to be physically active. Just Have a Ball is a simple, but effective tool for combating childhood obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that young people say they like physical activity because it is fun. Just Have a Ball supports a child’s natural tendency towards play as a method for staying physically fit and active. Exercise sounds hard and daunting, but play is fun and accomplishes the same results! Research confirms that play not only keeps our children happy and healthy, but it also helps to stimulate brain development and attentiveness in children. Play also promotes social interaction that leads to skill development in coping, conflict resolution, creative thinking, communication, and imagination.
Background
Youth Philanthropists Wilson (10 years old) and Hartwell (seven years old) Furr founded Just Have a Ball. Positive leaders with a sense of social responsibility, they identified a need in their community and through Just Have a Ball, they are addressing the need and seeking a solution.
Wilson and Hartwell are Peer to Peer Just Have a Ball Assembly Speakers. The Mississippi Preventing Obesity with Every Resource (POWER) Project recommends in their 2007 Environmental Scan of Childhood Obesity Efforts strategies that youth engage in planning and delivering programs. The report specifically states that youth can best reach their peers.
