Kelsey O’Shea, a dairy farmer from Madrid, recently addressed hundreds of students at several "American Dairy Association North East Fuel Up to Play 60" events, where she teamed up with current and former NFL football players.

O’Shea teamed up with current and former New York Giants players Stevie Brown, Jeff Feagles, Mark Herzlich and Amani Toomer at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J., and at NBT Bank Stadium, Syracuse, for Fuel Up to Play 60 Touchdown events. O’Shea also participated in an advisor appreciation event in Manhattan.

“Combining physical activity with nutrition education for kids is invaluable,” said O’Shea, whose family farm, Mapleview Dairy, milks 2,200 cows that supply milk to Agri-Mark Cooperative used to make Cabot Cheese. “Who better to help promote that than professional athletes and farmers?”

Fuel Up to Play 60 is the nation’s largest student-led in-school health and wellness program, launched by National Dairy Council and the National Football League (NFL) to empower students to create a healthier school environment. American Dairy Association North East and the New York Giants partner to bring the program to the local level.

“I feel fortunate every day to share our dairy story,” O’Shea said in a news release. “It is so rewarding to see how engaged and curious students are about the farm and what we do. Making the connection between the milk we produce and some of the foods they eat is what really brings our message home.”

Called a “Touchdown Event,” it rewarded students for participating in Fuel Up to Play 60 from September to April, and scoring a touchdown for their school.

Schools score a touchdown by completing all six steps of the program by April 1. The steps are signing up for the program, recruiting other participants, investigating wellness improvement, improving healthy eating in-school, improving physical activity in-school, and sharing Fuel Up to Play 60 successes with others.

O’Shea will also represent ADA North East dairy farmers at the national Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, July 16-19, where select students will participate in the interactive event to further educate about healthy eating and fitness.

For more information about the American Dairy Association visit www.AmericanDairy.com.