TWO NORTHSIDE KIDS have big plans to help other area children stay physically fit.

Wilson Furr, a third-grader at Jackson Academy, and his sister Hartwell, a first-grader at the school, have come up with a simple idea that they hope will catch on with Mississippi kids.

The two, along with the help of some grown-ups like their mom Denise, are starting “Just Have a Ball,” a nonprofit organization that will seek corporate and community donors to give every student in kindergarten through fifth grade a ball.

The idea behind it: encourage elementary kids to get outside and get active. “Mississippi is number one in childhood obesity,” Wilson, 9, said. “If we could get more kids to be fit, we wouldn’t be.”

Wilson and Hartwell, 6, have set some pretty lofty goals. And they’ve enlisted the help of some of their friends and family to help them reach them. Just Have a Ball hopes to collect 20,000 balls and to eventually give one to every child in the state. “We want to go global,” Wilson said.

Denise said the program is important because obesity affects children of every age and ethnicity and crosses social and economic barriers.

In early January, the two began going door-to-door in their North Jackson neighborhood and began asking their friends at school to make donations. Local corporations have also pitched in. Since they began, they’ve collected 506 balls. About a hundred are stored in their dad’s office.

The two recently showed the Northside Sun the collection, which is currently overflowing out of several boxes. The balls, when poured out, take up about half of the office.

Because of a lack of space, corporate donors are holding onto the rest until they’re needed, she said. When they’re ready to dole them out, they’ll be shipped to the schools.

THEY HAVE ALREADY partnered with the Hinds County School District to begin distributing the balls next month. (The school district still has to work out the details, but is excited about the idea.)

Denise Furr is overwhelmed by the amount of support and attention her kids have received. She never thought that her kids would be so dedicated to the project. “I thought they’d start it over the last part of Christmas break and forget about it when school started back,” she said.

“I probably wouldn’t have stuck with it if they didn’t,” she said. Furr said many people responded so well to the idea because children came up with it. Everybody’s jumped on the wagon.” Donors have ranged from local banks, private businesses and University Medical Center physicians.

The governor’s executive chef also visited the Furr kids to give them some tips on preparing healthy meals. He’s also working with the family to obtain corporate sponsorships, Furr said.

Hartwell and Wilson are pleased with the attention their idea has received. Hartwell, though, said they’re only collecting balls that all kids can play with. They don’t want to collect tennis balls and golf balls, which require equipment like rackets and clubs to play with them.

She recently described the types of balls they’ve already collected. “We have collected soccer balls, baseballs, footballs, playground balls, softballs and basketballs,” Hartwell said.

When Hartwell and Wilson aren’t collecting balls or going to school, they are active themselves. Wilson plays basketball, football and golf. Hartwell likes tennis.

Just Have a Ball is starting small, and is planning to give the balls to kids in Hinds County schools first. Denise Furr said the school district only has about 3,100 children in grades K-5. They also want to tackle Jackson Public Schools, which has a much loftier number.

DISTRICT DIRECTOR of Student Services James Mason said he’s pleased that they want to help students in Hinds County, which includes elementary schools in Byram, Utica and Raymond.

He said the program is unique because it actually gives the students something to take home with them. “It provides a direct benefit to the child,” Mason said. “The balls won’t be something that stays in the classroom and everyone has to share. Kids will all appreciate that.”

This year, state lawmakers instituted a new policy requiring districts to implement 150 minutes a week for physical activity for elementary students. The Legislature, though, didn’t provide districts with any additional funding to purchase equipment or hire instructors.

Mason said the balls would help in that regard as well. “They won’t provide a panacea to the problem,” he said. “But they will show kids that exercise and fitness can be fun.”