Equilibrium Fitness, a San Luis Obispo health and fitness company, is in the running for a $50,000 grant to fight childhood obesity from the Pepsi Refresh Project. But the local company needs your support to make it happen.

The grants are given out based on a voting process. But the project needs as many votes as possible every day until the end of August, so supporters are encouraged to tell as many friends as possible.

"The grant is people powered, meaning that if we get the community, our friends and peers to vote for our project and move into the Top 10 applicants, we'll receive the funding," said Julian Varela, Equilibrium’s owner. "Anyone can vote one time per day through 9 p.m., Aug. 31, and then the window of opportunity closes. Posting the link to vote onto your Facebook and Twitter pages, informing your friends, co-workers, etc. will only give us a stronger chance."

Those who want to help can visit refresheverything.com/youthfitnessleaders to vote.

Varela developed a passion for childhood obesity prevention programs and now focuses on improving the health of Equilibrium’s members, clients, youth and community.

"One of the reasons I feel fighting childhood obesity in SLO is so important is that we are a healthy minded community and from what I have seen happen with tobacco restrictions in our community is that we can do anything we put our minds to and that can have a snowball effect on the rest of the nation," Varela said. "If we want to see childhood obesity improve throughout the nation I know it will start here."

The proposed “Youth Fitness Instructor” program will teach kids from grade nine through 12 the fundamentals of health and fitness through school-based science education culminated in a “Youth Fitness Instructor Certification.”

"This program would be new to the U.S. but it wouldn't be new to the world," Varela explained. "A similar program has been running in Nova Scotia for several years now and has proven to be a success.Ultimately this program will create future health and fitness experts and fight childhood obesity in a peer-to-peer environment."

Upon completion, youth fitness leaders will be skilled and eligible to teach after-school fitness programs through local recreation centers, fitness centers and secondary schools within an inspiring and educational peer-to-peer environment.

Equilibrium’s goals are to:
•    Create a youth fitness instructor leadership program
•    Provide “certification” through local high schools
•    Create local job opportunities for youth fitness instructors (YFIs)
•    Provide after-school health and fitness programming by YFIs
•    Create sustainable interest and continuing health and fitness education

Visit refresheverything.com/youthfitnessleaders to vote and see how the $50,000 will be used if Equilibrium wins.