12-year-old Mississippi Boy Has a Ball Helping Home State Combat Obesity
Wilson Furr, 12, confronted a weighty issue in his home state of Mississippi. When he found out from his dad that the Magnolia State had the most obese children in the nation, Furr figured that if every elementary school kid in the state just played with a ball, they’d be slimmer. Two years ago, Furr went door to door and collected 138 balls of all kinds. Footballs, basketballs, baseballs, playground balls.
Luis Bruno, then the executive chef for the Mississippi governor, heard about Furr’s efforts. Inspired, Bruno, who recently had lost half his weight of 400 pounds, visited Furr and helped him form a nonprofit. Created in January 2010, Just Have A Ball has given away thousands of balls and raised thousands in donations.
For making a difference throughout his community and not just on the fairways, Furr is the 2010 recipient of the fourth annual Peggy Kirk Bell Award, given each year at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship.
Furr, who plays golf, football, basketball and baseball, earns an exemption to play in the 2010 World Championship and receives a grant from the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation that will cover his entry fee as well as travel and lodging expenses for him and his caddie.
Furr and his younger sister, Hartwell, already have spoken at more than 25 elementary school events and given away more than 10,000 balls.
He has picked up several partners and donors in Mississippi and beyond, including the Presidential Challenge, Mississippi Office of Healthy Schools, Mississippi Department of Education, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and the NFL’s New York Giants, which donated $1,000.
“A few months ago The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi called us and wanted to continue our cause and keep us as the spokesmen,” Furr wrote. “They have a full staff and have huge plans starting this school year to keep our simple idea going. They plan to spend around $70,000 this school year alone. We are doing a video and will continue speaking to our peers across the state.”
