According to a blog post from Streetsblog USA, Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) has introduced a federal bill to increase funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. The bill, called the New Opportunities for Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Financing Act — NOBPIFA, would reserve 1% of a $1 billion transportation fund to be used specifically for biking and walking projects. It would also ensure that 25% of funding be directed toward low-income neighborhoods. According to Sires, a report produced by the Sierra Club and the League of American Bicyclists shows that Latinos and African Americans are more likely than their white counterparts to be killed on bikes. The report finds that Latinos are 23% more likely to be killed on a bike than whites and African Americans are 30% ...
Editor's Note: Salud Heroes are a weekly feature from the Salud America! Growing Healthy Change website, which aims to empower healthy changes in Latino communities through news, resources, and stories. San Antonio sisters Makayla Esparza, 9, and Alyssa Esparza, 8, led largely inactive lifestyles. They saw a weight-loss contest on TV and decided to get active and help others get active, but they didn’t know of any afterschool programs to join and they didn’t have anyone to be active with. This led to their big idea: invite all the kids from their neighborhood for a 90-day get fit challenge to improve. With the help of their grandmother, Dawn Guerrero, Alyssa and Makayla posted an ad on Craigslist to invite kids to be active with them. They also invited members from the ...
Residents of Dove Springs, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Austin, Texas, are doing something to improve the safety and appearance of their neighborhood parks According to the Dove Springs Manantial de Salud blog, pastors and congregation members of Iglesia Bautista Great Commission en Dove Springs adopted Franklin Neighborhood Park in March of 2013, in efforts to improve neighborhood safety and to provide children with a place to play. The work did not end here however. Other local residents did their part by organizing groups of volunteers to improve the conditions of five other parks, including: Dove Springs District Park, Kendra Page Neighborhood Park, Houston Park, Onion Creek Park, and Ponciana Neighborhood Park. Community members met with local law ...
Sometimes getting public places to make healthy changes is simple: just ask! The Tweens Nutrition and Fitness Coalition (TNFC) is a group of over 30 community members working together to create healthy food and physical activity environments for Lexington, KY kids ages 9-13. A coalition member was visiting a Kentucky State Park and filled out a comment card requesting that they put more healthy options on the resort dining menus. Already working in healthy food guidelines, TNFC developed Better Bites, nutritional guidelines meant to be implemented wherever kids are: recreation centers, schools, camps, and more. The comment card was taken seriously, and changes began to happen. A request that took seconds to write ended in all 17 Kentucky State Parks ...
A new 44,000 square ft. aquatic center with two-pools is scheduled to open in Rockaway, Queens, February 14, 2014. The facility, which will be operated by the YMCA, will bring over 100 new jobs to the area and provide a much needed pool. According to YMCA president and CEO Jack Lund, the incidence of drowning is higher in shore communities like Rockaway. So a place to teach locals how to swim is important. Out of the 24 YMCAs in the area, this one will have the largest aquatic center. According to this news report, community members will receive a free one-year family membership and those who cannot afford membership will not be turned away. Read the full article ...
Latino kids need Salud Heroes to help fight childhood obesity. Can you step up? Visit our new website, Salud America! Growing Healthy Change, to read stories about real-life Salud Heroes who are making healthy community changes—from improved marketing to increased access to healthy food and physical activity, etc.—for Latino kids in your neighborhood and across the nation. You can also upload your own Salud Hero stories and photos. Watch a video about the site and Salud Heroes...and be a Salud Hero today! The Growing Healthy Change website was created by Salud America!, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The ...
School Bites, a blog about bringing more healthy food into the school system, provides tips on having less junk food in the classroom on Valentines Day. Together the two healthy Valentine's Day posts include 27 unique ideas of how to incorporate healthier foods like fruits, vegetables, smoothies, and water into the classroom parties. There are also suggestions for active games to play during the day, like Musical Hearts or Valentine's Hopscotch. These activites can get kids moving, having fun, and thinking less about the sugary snacks that traditionally provided during classroom parties. These ideas are complied from her network of school-health blogs and ideas from other concerned parents. See the 2014 guide 12 Naturally Sweet Ideas for a Healthy School Valentine’s Day ...
In Brownsville, children ages 6-12 who do not own bikes can now borrow one thanks to the Bikes for Tikes Program! The organization received a grant to purchase 40 bikes to be lent out every third Saturday of the month. Saturday morning parents register their children and from 9-11am kids are free to ride along the newly built Belden Trail. Watch the video to the right to learn more about this ...
Neighborhoods in Los Angeles are getting more fresh food options, thanks to corner store makeovers that are sweeping the city. The most recent makeover took place in Boyle Heights at Salva Market. Salva Market will launch new healthy food options and take part in a neighbor meet & greet with Boyle Heights residents on Thursday February 6 In late February 2014 the store will have its official grand reopening as a Healthy Neighborhood Market, accompanied by nutritious cooking demonstrations. PALOMA, a healthy food and wellness team of young leaders coordinated by community-based organization LA CAUSA YouthBuild in Boyle Heights, has worked closely with store manager Abel Gonzalez for several months to bring fresh and healthy foods to Salva Market. The Department of ...
