Jan. 27--THONOTOSASSA -- As an award-winning athlete, Dexter Jackson credits his physical well-being to routine exercise and proper nutrition.
It is that passion that has sent the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, named most valuable player of Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003, on a mission of teaching children the importance of both.
"Many children today are either unaware or unenthused, but I am committed to bringing public awareness to a critical issue -- how to teach our youth to take care of their health," said Jackson, who now plays for the Florida Tuskers, an Orlando-based team in the newly launched United Football League.
To press the point, on Jan. 16 Dexter and his wife, Tina, hosted a garden party at their Thonotosassa home for their four daughters, their friends and families.
Michael Ferraro, president of Learn2GrowKids, a division of West Palm Beach-based Preferred Commerce, was on hand to unveil the company's Growums gardening initiative for kids. The product includes a selection of vegetable seeds packed in peat moss pellets that children can plant, nurture and consume at maturity.
"We have to get back to basics," said Wanda Sloan, a neighborhood coordinator in the Hillsborough County Office of Neighborhood Relations. "A lot of low-income neighborhoods don't have access to fruits and vegetables because they cannot afford them."
The program also encourages kids to visit the company's Growums Web site -- Growums.com -- where virtual vegetable characters with names like Chester Chive, Rita Radish, Tomas Tomato, Luke the Cuke and Pepe the Jalapeno offer tips for youngsters to follow in cultivating healthy produce.
"Me and my wife know the dangers of kids and obesity and want to help as much as we can," Jackson said. "Growing gardens is something that also brings kids and families together."
Ferraro said schools throughout Hillsborough and Pasco counties have agreed to purchasing the garden kits at $9 each and sell them as fundraisers. Schools keep 50 percent of the profits.
"It's something that's cool for kids and they're easy to grow," said Ferraro's sister Christina Sweet, who has played an integral role in pitching the product.
Hillsborough County School Board member April Griffin, who attended the garden party, was impressed with what she saw and heard.
"Most kids don't even know where their food comes from," she said. "So for them, this is a really great program."
Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 731-8026.
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