Teaching kids healthy habits: Program that started in Milwaukee, now takes place at every Major League ball park

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Getting the chance to play on the field at Miller Park is a dream for so many young people. On Thursday, July 24th, that dream became a reality for 74 kids from Menomonee Falls -- but it wasn't all about baseball.

"It's simply a chance to plant a seed," Brewers Head Trainer Dan Wright said.

As the lights on the field at Miller Park help the sun to grow the grass, there is a different form of growing taking place as well.

"You have these young kids that come in that are wide eyed, full of questions and they want to know. They have somewhat of a clean plate and we want to try to put some good information on that plate," Wright said.

The plates of more than 70 kids were filled with information on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

"We've got three stations out on the field where we're getting them moving. Getting them moving with the stretching program. Getting them moving with an agility program," Wright said.

Wright and his staff on Thursday spent part of their day focusing on the different ways to make healthy choices -- including nutrition and cleanliness.

"These kids are really pretty good examples. They're active. They come to us and they're really excited about this program," Wright said.

The program is called PLAY -- or Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth.

"We try to bring our old style method of getting out and being active and allow yourself to live a healthy life promoting exercise, promoting good nutrition," Wright said.

The kids also had the opportunity to learn a little baseball from Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo.

"I think it's a good way of teaching young kids the proper way of playing the game and you know, the healthy way of playing it," Gallardo said.

While the kids on the field were the ones getting so many different bits of information to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, it was the parents, like Christine Jahn, in the stands that were also learning something.

"For me, it's the education, so learning things I haven't been exposed to and understanding," Jahn said.

Another aspect of the PLAY program is making sure everyone is aware of the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.

"As a parent, you want to know what to be looking for," Jahn said.

"You may not think of an eight-year-old or a 13-year-old using performance-enhancing drugs, but that's when it starts. And the education starts before that," Roger Caplinger, the Director of Medical Operations for the Brewers said.

Caplinger was the head trainer in 2006 when he first introduced the PLAY program.

"It originally started out with childhood obesity and diabetes. We wanted to make sure that kids were informed on how to get out there and play and get outside and run around eat right and eat healthy," Caplinger said.

Through it's nine years, the program has evolved and grown dramatically.

"It's gone from a very remedial program to full blown all 30 Major League teams do it. We even have some Minor League teams doing it in their venues," Caplinger said.

The goal remains the same -- making living a healthy lifestyle a habit for young people.

"I hope that they take away the notion that, you know, if I do it the right way, if I keep myself focused and true to what my beliefs are and what my goals and aspirations are, I can go as far as I want to go," Wright said.

The PLAY program has now conducted more than 150 events inside very Major League ball park -- getting its start in Milwaukee.