LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Jake Steinfeld, chairman of the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils, announced this week that Ring Lardner Middle School is among three Michigan schools that were selected to each receive a DON’T QUIT! Fitness Center.

The multi-million dollar DON’T QUIT! campaign has named Atherton Elementary in Burton, Lincoln Park Middle in Lincoln Park and Ring Lardner Middle School in Niles as the state’s most outstanding schools for demonstrating leadership in getting and keeping their students fit.

“It’s so important that we’re working to ensure our kids are living healthy lifestyles,” Whitmer said. “These schools have shown a strong dedication to helping their students get active, and I’m so excited for them to open up their new fitness centers. The National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils has been a great partner to us here in Michigan, and I want to thank them for the work they’ve done for students across the country.”

Steinfeld echoed this sentiment.

“We were thrilled to see how excited schools from around the state were to take part in our DON’T QUIT! Campaign,” he said. “We had many exceptional entries this year, but three schools really stood out for demonstrating innovative ways in promoting health and fitness within their schools. The National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils is thrilled to award Atherton Elementary, Lincoln Park Middle and Ring Lardner Middle School with new fitness centers that will have a lasting impact on kids and their community now, and well into their future. Congratulations to these three schools and to every school that participated in the campaign!”

The NFGFC program will have completed 32 states and will make its way into all 50 states in the coming years. Each fitness center is financed through a public/private partnership with companies like The Coca-Cola Company, Anthem Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike, and does not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding. TuffStuff Fitness International provides all the fitness equipment, which is manufactured in the United States.

These state-of-the-art DON’T QUIT! Fitness Centers will be unveiled during ribbon cutting ceremonies this fall.

For more information about the National Foundation, visit natgovfit.org.

The National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils seeks to encourage and reward innovation in the field of youth fitness by awarding fitness centers to schools that use new and unique methods to promote student physical activity and wellness. The NFGFC envisions a fitness center in every school in the U.S., helping to build a nation that — through innovation and a “DON’T QUIT!” attitude — boasts the fittest kids in the world. Since 2012, the NFGFC has delivered fitness centers in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Georgia, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, California, New Mexico, Connecticut, Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Washington, Wisconsin, Arizona, Maryland, Louisiana, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah. In 2019, NGFC plans to gift fitness centers to four more states including Michigan, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Missouri.