In order to give children a chance to be active during the April school vacation, members of the F.R.E.S.H. Team held a Fun Fest at the Community Development Recreation (CD-REC) headquarters on Bank Street on April 22, 2009. Youth from Fall River Extends Supportive Hands (F.R.E.S.H.), a youth leadership group of Fall River teens organized under the Healthy Youth Task Force, provided supervision and instruction to children from local schools. A number of heart-healthy activities including a climbing wall provided by PortableWall.com and two inflatable games provided a good alternative to sedentary activities in a safe, supervised environment. Team F.R.E.S.H. members supervised children and provided face painting, free refreshments and craft events to round out the afternoon's activities. Funding for the event was provided by Bank Five. Click here for pictures of last year's event. For more information about the F.R.E.S.H. Team, contact Massachusetts Promise Fellow Brendan Sullivan at 315-832-0234 or Fall River Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey at 508-324-2419.

(Top row) Silvia School second-grader Sabrina Berrouet works her way up the climbing wall. (Top row, right) Spencer Borden fifth-grader Alex Belanger works his way down the climbing wall set up in the parking lot of the Community Development Recreation building at 72 Banks Street. (Middle row, left) Fonseca School third-grader Al Clayborn pauses to wave in the middle of the inflatable obstacle course. (Middle row, right) Roy Santos of Fall River assists five-year-old Michael Santos and his two-year-old brother, Matthew, through the inflatable obstacle course. (Bottom row, left) Team F.R.E.S.H. member Isaiah Darby  paints Makenzie Moniz's face while her mother, Lucy, and Jamie Tavares watch. (Bottom row, center) Bill Bedard of PortableWall.com watches as Spencer Borden third-grader Collin Tramontan gives a thumbs-up sign following his climb. (Bottom row, right) Team F.R.E.S.H. members Meiyu Fang and Soroth Penh supervise a craft table as part of their community service.