First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by a special surprise guest at a Miami parks and recreation center Tuesday afternoon: actress Amy Poehler.
“It’s a real honor to be here this afternoon, and it’s especially exciting for me to learn that if you play a character with a certain career long enough, people will treat you as if you actually have that job. So this might be a shocker, but I am actually not a deputy director of parks and recreation,” said Poehler.
The comedian stars on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.”
“Just ask yourself this question: Without parks, where would we put all the swings? It would be in the middle of the road,” Poehler quipped, as Obama was overcome with laughter. “It would be very dangerous. This is so fun – Mrs. Obama is standing next to me like she’s my audience and I’m just telling her jokes. This is like a dream.”
The first lady embraced Poehler before saying, “It’s good. It’s funny.”
Obama is celebrating the fourth anniversary of her "Let's Move!" youth health initiative by hitting the road. She came to Miami to announce that the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National Recreation and Park Association will serve more fruits and vegetables at after-school programs and ensure that kids get 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day.
The changes will be implemented in thousands of after-school programs across the nation over the next five years, Obama said.
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Obama said the new effort will mean that millions more kids will be in healthy environments during the school day and during the crucial hours after school as well.
Earlier Tuesday came an announcement at the White House that the Obama administration is moving to phase out junk food advertising on football scoreboards and elsewhere on school grounds — part of a broad effort to combat child obesity and create what Michelle Obama calls "a new norm" for today's schoolchildren and future generations.
"This new approach to eating and activity is not just a fad," she said as she described the proposed rules.
Promotion of sugary drinks and junk foods around campuses during the school day would be phased out under the Agriculture Department rules, which are intended to ensure that marketing is brought in line with health standards that already apply to food served by public schools.
The proposed school marketing rules come on the heels of federal regulations that now require food in school lunch lines to be more healthful than in the past.
Obama launched the "Let's Move!" program in February 2010 to promote a more active and health lifestyle in a nation where obesity has become an increasing problem.
Obama congratulated Miami-Dade County for signing up all of its schools for Let’s Move! Active Schools.
Meantime, Poehler said she and the first lady are best friends. Obama agreed.
Poehler said she was a little embarrassed, however, because, as she put it, “I’m a grown woman standing on a box.”
