Press Releases

Hines Ward Wide Open to Teaching Students Nutrition

PITTSBURGH (May 2, 2007) – Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver Hines Ward on April 27 tackled the issue of good nutrition and physical fitness with students and teachers at Stewartsville Elementary School in North Huntington today as part of a “Take Hines Ward to School” contest won on behalf of first grader Cecilia Koncerak.

Cecilia earned the chance to introduce Hines Ward to her classmates through a retail sweepstakes won by her grandfather, James Janosko of Dravosburg. Janosko was entered into the “Take Hines Ward to School” sweepstakes by purchasing specified dairy foods at his local Giant Eagle. The contest was co-sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.

“It was cool to meet Hines Ward,” said six-year-old Cecilia, who loves chocolate milk, especially for breakfast.

After spending a few minutes chatting with Ward when he arrived at Stewartsville Elementary, Cecilia in introduced the Super Bowl XL MVP to 450 fellow students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Ward spoke to students about the important role good nutrition plays in preparing him for game day. He encouraged them to fuel up with whole grains, fruits and vegetables and dairy foods, including milk, cheese and yogurt, to get them on the right track to a healthy body.

“It was great to talk to the Stewartsville Elementary students about healthy eating,” Ward said. “As a father, I know how important it is for growing kids to learn healthy habits, like eating right and getting plenty of exercise, which will stick with them as they age.”

“I’ve been drinking milk since I was a little kid,” said Ward, who told the students that football players are just like big kids. “[Troy] Polamalu and I compete to be the first to get to the Frosted Flakes and milk when we have breakfast with the team.”

Following his presentation, Ward was joined by one boy and one girl from each grade in a mini football boot camp, where they learned how to call plays, take a snap and hand-off the football. After the assembly, each student received a 3-A-Day^™ of Dairy magnet and a “got milk?^®” pencil and wristband.

All player participation arranged by PLAYERS INC, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.

Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, an affiliate of the National Dairy Council^®, provides nutrition education programs and services to schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. For more information, visit www.dairyspot.com.