Statistics continue to indicate that obesity in America is on the rise, in particular in children.

With this in mind, the Jefferson Middle School PTA has organized an event called Family Fitness Night to teach students and their families that health and fitness must be a lifelong priority.

Family Fitness Night will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Jefferson Middle School, 225 W. Vermont St., Villa Park. The evening will combine physical fitness, education and fun.

The PTA has invited students and their families, along with the fourth- and fifth-grade students from North and Schaeffer schools, which are Jefferson feeder schools.

Those attending can choose from a variety of fitness-related stations — including scaling a climbing wall, shooting free throws, trying out the fitness center equipment and speaking with a fitness trainer.

The PTA has confirmed participation from local health and fitness businesses such as Aura Fitness, chiropractor Dr. Timothy Bessette, Sensei Steve’s Karate, Aspirations Dance Co. and the YMCA. Parents in the fitness and health field also are volunteering in their areas of expertise.

Judy Schulte is the special events coordinator for the PTA and said, “Guests will leave with a full understanding of what their school and community have to offer. We want to get the parents and elementary school students in the building to see what a great physical education department Jefferson has. This night will allow us to show parents what we do but also actively include them in the activities. The local businesses that are participating will show what our village has to offer to help people stay in shape.”

Schulte said the PTA received great support from the school.

“When we approached our principal David Katzin about the idea of a Jefferson Family Fitness Night, he supported it 100 percent. The response from those sponsoring the event has also been tremendous. Everyone we asked is either donating their time and talents or giving a donation to help pay for the event T-shirts.”

The PTA will have 200 commemorative T-shirts to give away.

There are hopes that the event will be a great success, Schulte said.

“Our hope for the event is that parents come out and enjoy an evening of fun and fitness with their kids. We hope they jump on a game or scale the climbing wall alongside their student and leave with a better understanding of middle school athletics.”

PTA Vice President Maria Oplawski has been helping organize Family Fitness Night and echoes this sentiment.

“My hope for the night is that the event will give families an opportunity to come together to challenge each other, father with son and mother with daughter, in a really fun-filled time. This night will hopefully help bring families together and give them ideas in which to spend quality time together and also pull the community together in a positive way,” Oplawski said.

Katzin also is excited about the fitness night. “I am greatly looking forward to the event. It sends a strong message to students that making healthy choices and exercising your body go hand in hand with exercising your mind. I am hoping for a strong turnout not only from Jefferson students and parents but also from the community at large.

“The greater the participation, the more it underscores the importance of the message to our students.”

The epidemic of childhood obesity concerns Katzin.

“I do think it is a growing concern. Kids are not as physically active as they were in previous generations. There simply are more things competing for their attention like television, computers and video games. We as educators need to work with parents to promote healthy eating habits and daily physical exercise.

“I am extremely grateful to our fantastic PTA for helping us do just that at Jefferson.”