WILMINGTON — The Clinton County Health District has sponsored a wellness program for children ages 4-12 in Clinton County in conjunction with the Flying Pig Marathon. Approximately 100 students from Wilmington City Schools and Blanchester Schools have been participating in the weekly after-school program.

Children have completed a full Marathon course (in increments) throughout the winter months. They will come together to celebrate the 26th mile with a mile race at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29 at Denver Williams Park in Wilmington. The 26th Mile event is a celebration of all the hard work that the children have put in over the winter.

Generous grants from the HealthFirst for Clinton County, volunteer assistance from Blanchester parent organizer Rachel Thompson and other parents have made this program possible. Healthy Snacks for Wilmington participants were provided by Sodexo.

“We would like to invite parents, friends, and the community to celebrate their success and encourage them to continue lifelong habits that contribute to health and wellness,” said WIC Director and Program Coordinator Renee Quallen.

According to the 2015 Community Health Assessment, the incidence of childhood weight problems in Clinton County is 32.8 percent.

“While this is below the national average of 56.3 percent for children, we always need to work on improving this number,” said Quallen. “And prevention is key here — according to the Health Assessment only 27 percent of Clinton County adults are at a healthy weight.

“It’s all about being smart, eating well, and moving more; healthy habits that we hope will stick around for good.”