WASHINGTON, DC–(Marketwire – Apr 27, 2012) – In honor of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) will pay tribute to the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award winners at their annual meeting on May 1, 2012.

Presented annually since 2007, the Lifetime Achievement Award is given to individuals whose careers have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports, and nutrition-related programs nationwide. Recipients are selected by members of PCFSN based on the span and scope of an individual’s career, the estimated number of lives they have touched, and the impact of their legacy.

2012 PCFSN Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Linn Goldberg, M.D. – Dr. Goldberg is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Health Promotion & Sports Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. His groundbreaking programs for young athletes (ATLAS for boys and ATHENA for girls) utilize exercise and nutrition alternatives to prevent the use of alcohol, performance enhancing and illicit drugs.

Thomas McKenzie, Ph.D. – Dr. McKenzie is Emeritus professor in the San Diego State University School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences. Dr. McKenzie has authored or co-authored over 170 publications and co-founded SPARK – a nationally recognized research-based public health organization dedicated to improve health through physical activity. In March 2012, he was awarded a Hall of Fame Award from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

Jacki Sorensen – Sorensen is the originator of Aerobic Dancing – the complete fitness program that combines health and toning benefits of jogging with the fun of dancing. Sorensen is the President and founder of Jacki’s Inc.

Charles Sterling, Ed.D. – Sterling is Chairman of Youth Initiatives at The Cooper Institute and Chairman of the FITNESSGRAM Board of Trustees. Dr. Sterling is best known professionally as the founder of the widely-used FITNESSGRAM®, a health-related testing and feedback system for youth.

Pat Summitt – Summitt is Hall of Fame University of Tennessee Head Women’s Basketball Coach Emeritus. Summitt has won more games than anyone else in NCAA college basketball history, winning eight national titles and 1,098 games at Tennessee.

When our family moved to our current home 24 years ago I immediately began looking for an exercise class to join. 

I had always participated in an exercise class in Chicago even while my kids were small.  At the Jewish Community Center my younger son played in his “Funtimers” preschool class, while I had my own “fun time "exercising to music in the aerobics class in the gym.

After class my son and I would head to Wendy’s across the street for lunch.  It became our little ritual. I was hooked on exercise, and had always found some time to attend a class, or run with my neighbor…we even did the Chicago Marathon in 1983!

When we moved to our new home in Maryland in 1988 we were amazed to find a brand new community center several blocks away, offering all kinds of activities for our boys, basketball for my husband, and aerobic exercise for me!

  And not just any exercise, but Jacki Sorensen’ s Aerobic workout, dance, and step classes. 

I’m happy to say I’ve been attending our intsructor Karin Baker’s classes for all these years.  A couple of weeks ago in class Karin told us that Jacki was receiving this lifetime achievement award May 1st in Washington, DC .

  Later in the evening they wanted to hold a large exercise session with instructors and students coming from all over, and Jacki presiding.

There wasn’t much time to pull it together, but Karin arranged to have it at our community center, and last night there were 190 of us doing Jacki’s dance aerobics in the gym.

With the help of many other volunteers a memorable evening was pulled together and Jacki was thrilled.

I volunteered to help with the food for the reception.  For my part I prepared lots of fresh fruit displays, my Mom’s Banana Sour Cream Cake ( increased the recipe by 1 and ½ and baked in a sheet pan) with vanilla buttercream frosting, and my Chocolate Bonbons.

Here are the photos!  You didn’t think this was just going to be a post about exercise, did you?