We had the fantastic opportunity to meet-up with Children’s Body Image Foundation (CBIF) President, Lane Andrews Jr. at the 2010 Arnold Fitness Expo. We briefly discussed all of the achievements that the CBIF has managed to accomplish in 2009 and into 2010. If you are not familiar with this organization, let us first give you a little background. The CBIF has a mission to improve the lives of children around the United States by raising body image awareness and self-esteem among today’s youth. The CBIF has committed themselves to helping eradicate the negative self-esteem traits that a child can experience after the outset of medical conditions (such as alopecia, club feet, eating disorders, amputation, pediatric cancer, etc.) and other types of traumas by offering financial support to the affected families for body image awareness counseling to the children.  Being a non-profit and operating entirely from donations and volunteers means the CBIF needs the support of it’s surrounding community and that is exactly what they are getting.

When the CBIF got started in the first quarter of 2009 the trustees didn’t waste anytime to make an impact in the community. The CBIF trustees were able to raise money from events and offer financial assistance to several families in the community on top of providing assistance for other great causes such as pediatric cancer research, supporting the children of Haiti by donating to the United Children’s Fund as well as providing financial assistance for neglected or abused children. While the organization is primarily operating in Columbus, Ohio – a national expansion is on the horizon. Lane said that the CBIF is focused on raising the organization’s awareness to reach a new audience.

To heighten awareness, the CBIF has become involved with the world of mixed martial arts, as several of the organization’s trustees come from a background in the sport. One of those trustees is CBIF president, Lane Andrews who is an experienced mixed martial artist. Lane knows first hand the positive impact that martial arts can bring to a young child’s self-esteem.  During the Arnold Sports Festival several  MMA fighters and sports celebrities including Randy Couture and two former Ohio State football stars (Mike Vrabel and A.J. Hawk) showed their support for the CBIF by donating autographed memorabilia to be auctioned off at an upcoming CBIF event. In concurrence with the Arnold Sports Festival, the CBIF hosted the WEC 47 after party (where several WEC fighters were in attendance) at Martini Park with a portion of the proceeds coming back to CBIF! On top of the WEC after party, an MMA seminar was organized and headlined by WEC featherweight fighter, Urijah Faber and held Sunday March 7th at the D1 Sports Training Complex in Columbus, Ohio. Two seminars were held and a couple dozen fighters and martial arts enthusiasts showed up to learn from one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. All of the money raised from the seminar and other events for that matter directly benefit families the CBIF helps as the organization itself does not carry any salaried employees and operates entirely with the help of volunteers. So do your part and get involved! Although Lane considered their inaugural year to be a success, he made a point to say that the bar has only been raised for 2010 and beyond.

To learn more about the Children’s Body Image Foundation and how you can get involved to improve the life of a child with body image problems, log on to the CBIF website, follow their updates on Twitter and connect with them on Facebook.

cbif, nonprofit, Urijah Faber, WEC