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 23, 2012 at Ruggles Park. The Pledge challenges children and adults to reduce or eliminate soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages from their diet for at least the summer months. Similar campaigns have been launched in California and Boston in previous years. "We're finding more and more people who are savvy about the health and dental problems associated with increased sugar consumption," stated Healthy City Fall River coordinator David S. Weed, Psy.D. "Reducing added sugar has become a major focus of efforts to reduce overweight and obesity as well as pediatric dental disease", he added. Pledge forms and informational flyers printed by Saint Anne's Hospital, have been distributed through the Fall River middle schools during the last week of school, and parents of younger children will be asked to sign pledges at a variety of events this summer. Click here for a video of the event. Click here for photos from last year's event. For more information about this project, contact Dr. Weed at 508-324-2411.

(Top row) School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard talks with Ebony, Alexis and Elizabeth Thomas and their mother, Chris and friend Brenda Desmarais at the Soda-free Summer Pledge table. (Middle row, left and right) Younger children enjoy meeting Mr. Tooth who emphasizes the importance of reducing sugar-sweetened beverages as a way of reducing tooth decay. (Middle row, center) Ms. Picard, Betty Nunes of the HealthFirst Adult and Pediatric Dental Care Program, and Healthy City Fall River coordinator David Weed pose for a photos with Mr. Tooth. (Bottom row) Ms. Picard talks with parent Alyssa Martel and children Naziaya Taillon, Jamyia Watkins about the alternatives to sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages which can contain as much as 53 teaspoons of sugar in one two-liter bottle,