2010 – The Kansas Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution No. 1819 sponsored by Senator Janis Lee adopted by the entire SENATE body, supporting Kevin Saunders for the position of chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. After the reading of the Resolution the Senate & guests gave tribute to Mr. Saunders with 5 minutes of applause for his accomplishments and to support him to become the next chairman of the President’s Fitness Council.”
Kevin Saunders plan as chairman includes following up on what Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger started over 20 years ago as Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports when he visited all 50 states to advocate for daily, quality physical education and fitness. Kevin formed the non-profit corporation entitled’ Fitness 4 All 50 state tour and plans when appointed chairman to also follow First Lady, Michelle Obama’s lead fighting childhood obesity and support her; “Let’s Move” campaign.” Governor Schwarzenegger’s quote about Kevin says it best! “Kevin’s broken body bears silent testimony to one who has overcome tremendous obstacles to get fit and beckons others to follow.” — California Governor Schwarzenegger
Kevin Saunders will visit all 50 states with a plan to encourage schools and school districts, students, parents, teachers and administrators, city and state officials to become lifelong supporters of the initiative to create accountability for fitness education, increased fitness activities and providing healthier choices. Kevin wants to get students and parents involved with frequent PTA meetings with the support of National healthy food vendors and fitness leaders to help the diverse at risk populations to learn how to incorporate eating healthy and exercising into their everyday lives. Also providing students and parents with information and education on how to properly read and understand food labels. The National healthy food vendors will help by providing free coupons as incentives for healthy foods, simple recipes and shopping tips to students and parents. Part of this plan involves helping students and parents understand how they can buy healthy foods and prepare them together as a family at a lesser cost and how it is better for you than eating out at fast food or convenience stores all of the time.
Kevin will be criss-crossing each state with his team to share his motivational message of how fitness, eating right and making healthier choices gave him his life back after being blown over 300 feet through the air onto a concrete parking lot. Leaving him hospitalized for almost a year. Kevin found himself paralyzed from the chest down with no core balance when he reentered mainstream life. Kevin Saunders came back to become a world champion wheelchair athlete earning the title “World’s greatest all-around wheelchair athlete” and became one of the top motivational speakers in America. Kevin will share his message of “Tragedy to Triumph” with students in big, medium and small school districts across each state in America. Kevin also wants to provide students with daily accountability journals so they can set their short & long term goals for the education, fitness & making healthier choices.
Kevin will follow the administrations lead to encourage school districts to buy into the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign using preventative measures for obesity by providing healthier choices improved fitness and activities all students can take part in. Kevin will also meet with Mayors, City Councils and community leaders and concerned citizens and state Governors and their Health & Human Services staff to get them on board to provide the partnerships with corporate and business leaders. In order to help provide and raise the funds necessary to build the lifelong support mechanism that will promote and provide the fitness education and activities, healthy eating choices necessary to help maintain a lasting permanent change to reduce childhood obesity. Kevin wants to help cut down on the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent by our national health care system on obesity related diseases.
Kevin learned firsthand after working with Head Coach, Bill Snyder and being part of the “Greatest turnaround in college football history” that you have to get the student / athletes to buy into the program. Then you have to get the University President and Board of Regents and other university leaders to buy in as well and help provide the support and funds necessary to help Kansas State University compete with other major Division-1 football programs in America. Then you have to get the support of the Alumni to financially support your goals as well as businesses like Nike for uniforms and many others. You have to also get people to see things differently in Kansas State football that was Coach Snyder convincing people after only 4 winning seasons from WWII to 1990 Kansas State only had 4 winning seasons. The 5 years prior to Head Coach Bill Snyder’s arrival the football team had only won 4 games. As you can imagine convincing people they could win football games and become champions in football at Kansas State took not only a great plan, leadership it took a great deal of effort in many different areas to truly make a lasting winning change for the better.
By getting everyone working together for a common goal to improve fitness education, activities and making and providing healthier choices for our youth we can win the fight against childhood obesity in America!
5:00 a.m. CST – I woke up and got things ready to go. We received a donation from Ron Sanderson, a guest at the hotel, that morning during breakfast. Again, I just want to thank everyone who has contributed to this Tour. With their support and enthusiasm, I know the Tour will be a success and that together, we will be able to win the war against obesity.
6:00 a.m. CST – We got packed and ready to go. We left some thank you cards and spoke with people before we left.
6:30 a.m. CST – I departed for WISH-TV-CBS for a 7:40 A.M. live interview with Anchor Pam Elliot, on the “Good Morning Indianapolis” show. Pam Elliot was a great interviewer. She really covered the subject well and we were able to let her know that the Big Push and Revolutions tour was to raise awareness and to demonstrate that if I could push my wheelchair across America paralyzed from the chest down, then anyone can become healthy and fit whatever their limitations or adversity they must overcome. We discussed that after the Big Push, I would continue my fight for fitness and write and publish the book “Revolutions” about my journey and plans to improve
The speaking engagement to the USF Bulls went great! The players and coaches were really fired up to hear me speak and I was excited to speak to them and get to see my good friend Head Coach Jim Leavitt. Before I went I knew these guys were capable of doing great things and after meeting them I’m even more excited about their chances this year. I tell you, Coach Leavitt knows how to get the best out of his players so look out for the Bulls this year. In giving them a little motivational coaching I told them they had to think a little like Mike Tyson when he was starting out. He said you train and work harder than anyone so you know you can take care of business. When you enter the ring (or field of competition) and see your opponent standing in the way of where you want to go you’ve got to kill’em and take them out! I let them know they had to give their very best, work harder and smarter than the competition and forge their way to the championship one opponent, one game at a time. I explained that they had to out train, out think, and be more dedicated than any other team. I let them know that to achieve their goals they had to stay focused and sharp as a razor blade. The players and coaches seemed to really respond positively to what I had to say. I had them all sign a team ball we called the 2009 USF Constitution for football promising to do their best and never take the easy way out. They all were enthusiastic about the journals I provided for them and promised to keep track of their progress everyday by writing their daily improvements, goals, sacrifices, and a teammates name and position, grade and something about their teammates goals, home, or favorite things to do, etc. Coach Leavitt liked what I had to say as well and said he was going to hold each team member accountable to what they had promised when they signed that football. Coach Leavitt also wrote a quote of mine on the chalkboard so they could see it every day; “Never let the thought of taking it easy ever enter your mind.” Well I bet these guys live by that this season and beyond. So if you’re up against the USF Bulls, look out because when it comes to their opponents they’re gonna kill’em, cook’em and eat’em!
10:00 a.m. CST – This morning I was presented a Proclamation from Mayor Peterson. As a way to thank the mayor’s office for their support and commitment to the Kevin Saunders’ Health and Fitness Tour of America, I presented Mayor Peterson with a plaque. I gave an impromptu motivational presentation to let everyone know the purpose for this Tour and that I would continue spreading my message of motivation and inspiration during my journey. I challenged the city to get in shape before I returned. I offered to provide tools and resources to help with the efforts that are currently ongoing in the Indianapolis area to make everyone healthier. My new book, “Revolutions” is a great motivational tool full of tips and information about the tour. My other books, “Blueprint for Success” and “There’s Always a Way” are available as well at 
In addition to being a Paralympic wheelchair athlete and author I work as a motivational coach and inspirational speaker. In that role I’ve been invited to speak to the University of Southern Florida Bulls today. Bulls head coach Jim Leavitt and I worked together at Kansas State where he was the co-defensive coordinator while I was the team’s motivational coach. At that time under Coach Bill Snyder’s leadership Kansas State Football experienced what was later referred to as the greatest turnaround in college sports history. Here in Florida Coach Leavitt has created his own amazing story taking this team from non-existence to Division 1-A status in just five short years. Coach Leavitt is truly a man that lives the philosophy of never give up and there’s always a way.
8 a.m. CST – Dora and I went to the Black Hawk Christian Church. We listened to Pastor Kelly Byrd who spoke on the subject of Father’s Day and about how women need to be strong for their husbands. It is the women who help provide the strength for fathers. It was a good message with all of the demands (physically, mentally, and emotionally) that are on my wife, Dora. The message reminded me to always be thankful for her love and support and to never take it for granted. I enjoy visiting new churches. As a church speaker I get to speak to various congregations and get new spiritual inspiration each time I speak. I was even invited to speak on Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power”. It was a great honor and provided a lot of inspiration. As a motivational speaker I always enjoy my speaking engagements but when I present as a church speaker it’s even more special. The inspirational faith I see in the parishioners is always uplifting. I hope everyone out there can find their own inspiration and motivation to live better lives and be happy. Just make a promise to improve a little every day and life will get brighter and brighter.
6:00 a.m. CST – My day started in Yoder, IN. The weather was in the high 70′s and it was partly cloudy. When we crossed Hwy 225, my support team called the Bluffton, IN police and newspaper so we could do an interview and get police support as we drove through. It was especially inspirational because the police officer, Greg Steele, had personally biked from Indianapolis to Washington, DC to benefit the fallen police officers of 9/11 so he could relate to what I was currently undertaking. In fact, Officer Steele helped pace me at speeds between 15 to 20 mph through Bluffton. That’s a good speed on a regular bike and I was using my arms in a wheelchair! He led me by the police department and mayor’s office where I met Capt. Tammy Schaffer and Mayor Ted Ellis. I received a police patch from the Bluffton PD and a key to the city from Mayor Ted Ellis. Receiving recognition for the Tour’s mission always gets me pumped with adrenaline. It reminds me of the excitement I felt competing as a champion wheelchair athlete in the Paralympics. Thanks to the adrenaline and the fast draft Officer Steele gave me out of town, I was able to wheel 48 miles today. This gave me an average of over 10 mph. Over four of those hours were spent in my chair, which is a very difficult thing to do. I did notice that after four hours of pushing, my neck and right shoulder started to get sore. I also noticed when I stay in my racer that long pushing, it is necessary to consume plenty of water and Gatorade to replenish my electrolytes and prevent dehydration. However hard it gets I know I have to keep pushing and never give up! It is important though to be prepared. I have to stay prepared with my medical supplies, my hydration, and be physically prepared for challenges as well. In life we need to be prepared for whatever comes at us. As a motivational coach and inspirational speaker I travel a lot and have to overcome adversity that often is unexpected. For me, even a simple airline flight can be trouble. You can’t let adversity keep you down or stop you from achieving your goals. You just have to stay mentally and physically tough to conquer life’s challenges. So dig deep, find a little spiritual inspiration and you’ll be ready for anything.
I pushed approximately 10 miles from downtown to the interstate with a police motorcycle escort we averaged about 17 to 20 mph with the Police leading the way. I went to city Hall and received a proclamation from the Mayor on Friday a couple days before and now it’s time to move on to the next city.
As I was pushing through the pain on the USA Health & Fitness Tour sometimes I ripped the skin right off my fingers right down to the bone. Some days I climbed hills that seem to go on for ever, other days the heat index off the black pavement exceeded 120 degrees farhenheit, other days it was pouring rain and I felt as if I might have to be a man of steel like the Terminator to survive and stay on schedule. That took me back to the time I met Lewis Tardy at the Bayou City Arts festival in Houston. Lewis sculpts in welded steel and found objects in a biomechanical style. He uses bicycle parts, wrenches, surgical tools and other metal objects. When I first saw his work it made me think of the “Terminator” movies and reminded me of my friend Arnold Schwarzenegger. I worked with Arnold for years on The President’s Council for Physical Fitness. I thought the biomechanical style Lewis Tardy used would be good to make a likeness of a wheelchair athlete. Lewis was impressed with my work as a world champion wheelchair athlete and Paralympian. He was inspired to create a one of a kind sculpture entitled “Wheelchair Racer.” I think it exhibits the speed and power I feel when I’m racing in my chair. I never give up and won’t let anything stop me from overcoming adversity. That’s another reason for the tour and my new book “Revolutions.” I want people to never give up on their path to fitness and realize there’s always a way. Those thoughts help me keep pushing on through the adversity, they inspired me and gave me inspirational faith and brought out the inspirational athlete inside me to keep pushing on through whatever adversity from flat tires to heat to ripped skin off your fingers down to the bone to make it to my next destination.
Total miles pushed: 66Defiance, OH. It took almost 4 hours, where we met with the Defiance Crescent Newspaper at around 1P.M. and spoke with Jenny briefly who took our picture. It should be interesting to see the differences in pictures from the start of this trip to the end. I’ve got a long way to go and will have to overcome adversity and tough times I know. Keeping my weight up and getting proper nutrition will be critical. As a motivational coach for Kansas State Football I motivated the team to never give up and that there’s always a way. I firmly believe in those principles and whatever the hardship I will muscle through. After all, it’s only a few thousand miles, I’ll just take the revolutions of my wheels one mile at a time. That’s how you get things done. Just do the best you can and try to improve a little bit each day and the big picture will take care of itself.