The two regional Y groups got the lion's share of the $4.5 million total awarded to just 10 YMCA associations across the United States.

Allocated by the U.S. Department of Education, the funds are to be used to "initiate, expand and/or improve physical education programs, including after school activities, to help students from kindergarten through 12th grade make progress toward meeting state standards for physical education."

"No school [in Cupertino] is glowing terms of fitness," said Cheryl Vargas, director of Cupertino's Y. "So that is what the grant will help us accomplish," she said, as the money be will directed to youth programs in those areas.

The Santa Clara and Mid-Peninsula Y's decided to apply jointly said Mary Hoshiko, vice president of program and community development for the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley, because "we're working on an alliance so we can share resources. Together we can cover the entire Santa Clara County."

The Cupertino Y is part of the Santa Clara Valley Y, which is headquartered on The Alameda, and extends to Morgan Hill in the south and up through Sunnyvale and Cupertino to the north. The Santa Teresa YMCA serves the Almaden and Blossom Valleys. The Mid-Peninsula Y coverage starts in Mountain View and goes north through San Mateo County.

This is the first time the Ys have applied for a White grant, Hoshiko said, and she's not sure why their grant is so large in comparison to others. Hoshiko said the organizations applied for the maximum of $500,000 for each of the three years. Some things they suggested using funds on were "disallowed," but they got almost all they asked for.

The money will be used in four different areas and will be part of the "Y Healthy U Project" Hoshiko said. "The main area is our childcare and after school programs. We already work with these kids five days a week for the 180 school days each year, so we'll use these programs as a vehicle to deliver a program in health and fitness and nutrition."

The second area involves working with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The two will co-sponsor a summer institute to train 30 teachers the second year and 30 more the third year to deliver a physical education and nutrition curriculum in their classrooms.

"The idea is each school will have a teacher champion to work with their colleagues to integrate an intentional health and wellness curriculum during the regular school day," Hoshiko said.

The third area will focus on the 1,600 students who are now part of the eight YMCA branches with Teen Centers.

"Every one of our branches has a teen advisory council," Hoshiko said.

The fourth area is applicable only to the Mid-Peninsula Y, which is planning to provide physical fitness and nutrition classes to 500 to 700 students weekly in the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto.

Vargas said the money will help with health and physical fitness programs at seven Cupertino elementary schools and at middle school teen centers. The seven schools are Blue Hills, John Muir, Lincoln, Stevens Creek, Eisenhower Meyerholz and West Valley.

"The grant will absolutely help with the funding of supplies and training," Vargas said, "and enhance our ongoing programs. {Cupertino] students may not be overweight, but they are lacking in terms of strength, flexibility and endurance."

White, the woman the program is named in honor of, was a longtime aide to Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.

She worked on moving the Physical Education for Progress Act legislation forward. In 2001, the program enacted by the legislation was renamed in her honor.

Hoshiko is hopeful the grant programs will have lasting impact on those they reach.

"If we can influence them young, they'll develop life-long habits and reverse the trend toward obesity in our area," she said.

Vargas is also hopeful the money will help the Cupertno Y add to their current programs. "Right now we are having conversations with Hyde Middle School and Cupertino Middle School about establishing teen centers there. The grant should help make that even more possible."

For additional information on the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley, visit www.svcymca.org.