The Effingham County Kiss-a-Pig Campaign Committee is hosting a Junior Olympic carnival and health fair at the South Effingham High School track on Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The entrance fee is $3 per child and $1 for adults without children. Adults who bring a child get in free.

Community organizations will run Olympic-style games such as long jump, archery, disc throw and horseback riding. A real treat for all ages will be the infamous “Monkey Bridge” sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 295. Prizes are awarded at most events and all participants will have an opportunity to earn an Olympic gold medal. Children will be able to have fun and win prizes at the same time they are engaged in physical activity, recommended by American Diabetes Association for children in order to avoid obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes.

A health fair for all ages will take place during the event and free screenings and health information will be available. An Effingham YMCA three-month family membership and joiners fee certificate valued at $260 is one of several free health-related giveaways available at the health fair.

Live entertainment by Boogie Boys DJ and several local talented singing groups will be provided throughout the day. Nutritious lunch and snack items will be available for purchase.

The American Diabetes Association pig mascot, Ziva, also will be in attendance. The pig is honored by the ADA as the original source of insulin.
Effingham County, first-time contestants in Kiss-a-Pig, will be represented by Troy Alford of Coastal Chevrolet. His campaign managers are Bev Donaldson with Effingham County schools and Michelle Brinson with Atlantic Southern Bank.

Effingham County will be competing against community leaders from other counties and representing a wide variety of professions. A contest between community leaders to raise money, Kiss-a-Pig enjoys wild popularity among area locals.  

The Junior Olympics is their third event and is in keeping with the “OlymPig” theme for the 2009 campaign.  

Winners of the contest will be announced on May 30 during the Closing Ceremony Gala at the Hyatt Regency Savannah.

All funds raised during the Kiss-a-Pig campaign benefit American Diabetes Association, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to curing diabetes and improving the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Diabetes is the nation’s fifth deadliest disease, killing more than 220,000 Americans each year. It is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke, adult blindness, kidney failure and non-traumatic amputations.

For more information on the Junior Olympics, contact Michelle Brinson at 826-4286 or mbrinson@atlanticsouthernbank.com or Bev Donaldson at bdonaldson@effingham.k12.ga.us.