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PARKER: Riggs hopes to transform lives of overweight kids

By Penny Parker, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 10, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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After a year in the making, Stephanie Riggs' TV show Fitting In has found a home.

Riggs, who left CBS 4 when her anchor job on the 4 p.m. news was elbowed out by Oprah, started the project while working for a production company in Denver. When the company went bankrupt, she took the show under her wing, formed Stephanie Riggs Productions and continued work on the program, which takes overweight kids and teaches them healthy habits.

Fitting In, which was cast in Denver using elementary school youngsters ages 12 and younger, airs from 7 to 8 p.m. June 14 on the ABC Family channel. After the network debut, Riggs says she hopes to take the program all over the country and make it into a series.

"I believe we all want to belong, we all want to be loved, we all want to fit in," said Riggs, who was teased in school for being too tall and too thin. "Fitting In is for kids who need to know they are not alone - they are loved."

Riggs is the host and cheerleader on the show, while she employs fitness and nutrition experts to help the kids make better choices in exercise and eating. Former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey puts in an appearance.

"He told the kids he didn't fit in," Riggs said. "He was too overweight to play football and had to eat nothing but hot dogs to try to make weight. He said that never worked, but he credits all those times he had to warm the bench for his drive and determination to be the best. He told the kids he never listened to people when they said he was too slow and would never play football."

Riggs says she hopes the show motivates kids and strengthens the effort to find a solution to the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.

"We are so proud of these kids and their families for moving ahead in a healthy, positive direction," she said. "That's why I created this show, and that's why I pray this show will transform lives around the country."

PSSSSSST! It's a surprise, but RockBar owner Jesse Morreale wants the pals of his best pal Phil Keating to gather at 9 p.m. Friday to celebrate the former 9News and Fox 31 reporter's 40th B-Day. Keating, who left Denver in 2004 to become a reporter for Fox News, is flying in for his birthday from his South Beach, Fla., base. RockBar: 3015 E. Colfax Ave., inside the All Inn motel.

FROZEN FORM: Whitney McMillan, a manager at Dixons, came up with a clever concoction in honor of the Frozen Four hockey tournament that Denver's hosting today through Saturday.

The Frozen Black & Blue: Stolichnaya Blakberi Vodka, Blue Curacao, lemonade, and a splash of 7-Up in a blender with ice. Garnish with a fresh blackberry. The dandy drink will sell for $5 during the Frozen Four.

THE SEEN: The Frozen Two Boston College Eagles and North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey teams dining (not together) at the Denver ChopHouse on Tuesday.

EAVESDROPPING on a man talking about Mike and Peggy Shanahan's mansion under construction in Cherry Hills: "Do you think Peggy is putting in a Starbucks?"

Penny Parker's column appears Tuesday through Saturday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail parkerp@RockyMountainNews.com.