Alaska Sports Hall of Fame /Healthy Futures Newsletter             VOL. 05  NO. 01                  Fall 2021

As the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame and its programs steer through the challenges of the past couple years, our work has never felt so vital.

Initial studies on Covid-19 impact show obesity rates have spiked since the start of the pandemic. So have issues with emotional and mental health for children and adults. 

The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame is thrilled to have launched the Alaska Sports Report in October! 

From preps to the pros, our award-winning staff will provide in-depth coverage of Alaska athletes that is second to none. 

Through a partnership between Healthy Futures and Alaska’s News Source with the integration of The Basics organization, young Alaskans from economically challenged backgrounds can be awarded scholarships to help get them in the game! 

To help promote the Healthy Futures Challenge we created a poster this fall that features a diverse group of Alaskan role model athletes. We asked them why being physically active is important. Here are their responses: 

With most large events canceled due the pandemic, there have been fewer opportunities for Healthy Futures to provide its usual support.

However, the good news is that events, while not yet back to their pre-pandemic levels, are returning slowly but surely!

Kayla, our new program coordinator, will manage the Healthy Futures Challenge and Game Changer programs among other duties. Kayla is inspired by innovative and responsible solutions to tackle resource inequity. 

The Fall 2021 Healthy Futures Elementary Challenge is off to a strong start with 117 schools across the state signed up and 89 logging their activity. With most returning to in-person from remote learning, we saw a significant spike in enrollment numbers compared to last year. 

We are thrilled to announce that we are planning the world’s first PLAAY Day on February 24, 2022! 

It’s called 24 Hours of PLAAY (PLAAY24) and we will be broadcasting live from the Special Olympics Center in Anchorage’s Mountain View neighborhood beginning at 12 p.m. on Thursday, February 24 and finishing at 12 p.m. on February 25.

Healthy Futures would like to recognize a coordinator who has been involved with the Elementary Schools Challenge since the beginning! Innoko River School in McGrath has participated for 17 years under the guidance of Joyanne Hamilton. We’re grateful for her hard work and for everything she does for her students. Go Raiders! 

All of us at the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame and Healthy Futures are so thankful for our supporters! We couldn’t do any of the wonderful work we do without people like YOU! 

Thanks to your energy, donations, and vested interest in the health and well-being of Alaska’s youth and our community, we are able to serve thousands of children through the Healthy Futures Challenge and event support. We are also able to reward, celebrate, utilize and honor our local athletes to teach, honor and inspire. Your assistance is vital to our success and we are grateful for your support!