One Ton o’ Fun, a fitness program created by RunTex CEO Paul Carozza and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Executive Director Kenny Taylor, and the Neighborhood Longhorns Program, an educational incentive program at the University of Texas at Austin, have two things in common: the children the two programs benefit and Celina Ruiz-Snowden. Ruiz-Snowden is not only the director of the Neighborhood Longhorns Program, a One Ton o’ Fun beneficiary along with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, she is also a One Ton o’ Fun team captain.
“One Ton o’ Fun has been a great opportunity to raise money for both programs, get moving and get fit at the same time,” Ruiz-Snowden said.
Danny Baker, Fox-7 general manager, suggested that Ruiz-Snowden get involved with One Ton o’ Fun. Formerly a Neighborhood Longhorns board chair, Baker thought it was a good match because BBBS and Neighborhood Longhorns work with similar children in similar schools. He also invited Ruiz Snowden to captain a One Ton o’ Fun team.
“I thought it was a good idea to get the community involved in bringing an awareness to both programs. Too often, outreach programs get lost in the shuffle and start to lose their individuality,” Ruiz-Snowden said.
The Neighborhood Longhorns Program works with economically disadvantaged children from third to eighth grade to improve their grade performance and reading, math, science, and language arts skills as well as increase student retention rates. The program works in 20 elementary and middle schools, in partnership with the Austin Independent School District. UT student volunteers are trained to work with the children as tutors and mentors. In 2005, 286 University of Texas at Austin students provided 5,141 hours of tutoring hours, the equivalent of a $50,000 contribution, to nearly 400 Austin Independent School District students.
Neighborhood Longhorns Program participants who meet program requirements over the entire school year receive a $100 college scholarship, which is held for them in a bank account until they complete high school, and the program offers participants educational incentives throughout the year. Bevo’s Grand Slam Reading Program, sponsored by the University of Texas at Austin Baseball Team, offers opportunities to participate in UT sporting events to participants who achieve reading levels higher than normal for their grade level. A series of luncheons sponsored by the Austin Longhorns Club, Lunch with the Coach, honors two students who exceed their reading goals, and Southwest Bell Corporation, the Longhorns Sports Network and the UT Athletic Department provide football tickets to home games for students who have achieved their reading goals. Other participants who reach academic goals are eligible to attend the Texas Iron Spikes Baseball Clinic, UT athletic summer camps, the Kinsolving Dormitory Halloween Carnival and SpringJam, a festival hosted by UT student athletes and volunteers to celebrate student and volunteer accomplishments.
“I sent out an invite to some of our school coordinators, staff and volunteers and I had a huge response. My team is great and we have a great coach, Kaci Saenz, as well,” Ruiz-Snowden said.
Ruiz-Snowden said One Ton o’ Fun has been an “awesome experience.” When she invited people to join her team, she explained that the program was a way to get fit and lose weight, which she knew they all wanted to do. Her team members range in exercise experience, and since the program is flexible, she said it works for team members to be at different fitness levels.
“The opportunities that this program has provided have been incredible. Personal coaches, guidance, seminars, cooking classes - it has been an amazing experience,” she said.
Before One Ton o’ Fun, Ruiz-Snowden did not work out at all. She works out three times each week with the group and works out twice a week with her husband, a fellow teammate. She did not to know what to expect out of the program, so she did not set a goal at the beginning. However, Ruiz-Snowden has lost 19 pounds, and she can tell she has lost inches because of the way her clothes fit.
The first milestone for Ruiz-Snowden was the STAR Flight 5K, held July 22 at Zilker Park, which she completed along with about 30 other One Ton o’ Fun members.
“I finished next to last at the STAR Flight, but I didn't care about where I finished, just that I crossed that line, and for the first time, too. I used to be the one cheering my friends on while they ran and now I am hearing the cheers,” she said.
Her training schedule is an example of how One Ton o’ Fun is flexible, as well as how any fitness program can be tweaked to fit into realistic schedules. Before the school year started, Ruiz-Snowden worked out with One Ton o’ Fun groups Tuesdays at noon, Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Since school began, however, the Tuesday workouts are difficult for her to attend, but if she does not meet up with the group, she can still get her workout in by walking on her own. While she previously thought that she had to go to a gym to work out, she has also learned that she can work out anywhere, particularly Town Lake.
“Having team members join you for workouts is a great motivator. It is fun to go out there to Town Lake and workout with Kaci. There is some energy that surrounds Town Lake on Saturday mornings; when I am out there I feel like part of the whole team. I may not be a runner, but I am out there sweating with the rest of them,” Ruiz-Snowden said. She explained that her biggest challenge has been not making excuses. “I know what I have to do and moving is what is going to help get me there. It's about making a lifestyle change and making exercise part of my lifestyle,” she said.
Since Ruiz-Snowden is making exercise and healthy food choices part of her lifestyle, her participation in One Ton o’ Fun is also benefiting her family. In addition to exercising with her husband and taking their 21-month-old daughter to workouts, she tries to choose healthier foods to eat, especially when eating out. For example, she said, while the family used to go to a Chinese buffet for dinner, they now go to the Hickory Street salad bar. By making her new exercise routine and diet choices a lifestyle, she plans to continue to benefit from One Ton o’ Fun.
“Even though this is a six month program, it took me longer than six months to put on all this weight, so I know it will take me more than six months to take it off. This is a great start to serve as a catalyst to get my efforts going,” she said.
One Ton o' Fun is sponsored by the RunTex Foundation, KTBC Fox7 Austin, Austin Fit Magazine, FitCity, the Livestrong Challenge, Ironsmith, O2 Austin, New Balance and Tonyia Cone Communications. For more information on the program, which benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and the Neighborhood Longhorns Program, visit www.onetonofun.com.
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