Healthy City Fall River offered people the chance to sign up for the Soda-free Summer Pledge Campaign at the CD-REC Kick-off to Summer on June 25, 2011 at Ruggles Park, and 63 people completed a pledge form. The table gave children and adults an opportunity to pledge to reduce or eliminate soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages from their diet for at least the upcoming summer. Similar campaigns have been launched in California and Boston in previous years. "This is the first time that we have suggested that one way of reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiac conditions is to reduce the consumption of sugar," stated Healthy City Fall River coordinator David S. Weed, Psy.D. "Sugar has no nutritional value and is a food that should be consumed only occasionally", he added. Over 10,000 pledge forms printed by Saint Anne's Hospital, have been distributed through the Fall River public and private schools during the last week of school, and children will be asked to sign pledges at a variety of events this summer. A copy of each completed form will be placed on display at Government Center over the summer. Click here for a video by Patrick Mulgrew of the event. For more information about this project, contact Dr. Weed at 508-324-2411.

(Top row, left) Seven-year-old Kiara Almeida filled out a pledge form held by her mother, Heather, at the Healthy City table. (Top row, center) Kathryn Belanich and her mother, Meredith, complete a form at the table. (Middle row, right) Ten-year-old Serenity Cabral helps herself to water in her new water bottle given to everyone who signed up for the Pledge. (Bottom row) Dr. Weed talks with people who signed a pledge to reduce or eliminate soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages for the summer.