Group Creates ‘Wellness Corridor’ to Promote Active Spaces in Santa Ana, Calif.



The mostly Latino southern area of Santa Ana, Calif., had limited places to be active—and not a single park. Desperate for more active spaces to give them more chances to get fit and avoid disease and obesity, residents pushed for and received a new park, Corazones Verdes Park. While park construction remained underway, members of Latino Health Access sought alternative active spaces. That’s when they came up with the idea of creating a Wellness Corridor through downtown Santa Ana. Now partners from across the city are discussing ways to make the community more walkable, and residents of all ages are learning to effectively voice the need for healthy options. EMERGENCE Awareness: America Bracho, a Venezuelan-born physician and public health advocate for the Latino community of south ...

Read More

Mobile App: The Trail Link App by Rails-to-Trails



The new Trail Link App, created by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy allows you to locate walking and biking trails throughout the nation. Just enter a city, state, zip code and find the nearest trails near you! You can also add new trails, upload photos, and create a new map with the app. Download the free Trail Link App to get started. ...

Read More

A Walking Event in Santa Ana, CA Raises Awareness for Safer Streets



Organizing a Walk-to-School day can be one great way of keeping kids healthy and active. It can also serve to improve neighborhood safety, and capture the attention of parents, local school officials, and policymakers. According to a success story from the California Endowment, Latino children in Santa Ana organized a successful walk-to-school day event in 2007. Before the event, students conducted a walking audit of their neighborhood streets to identify sidewalks and intersections that needed improvements. Then students and teachers presented pictures of the areas that needed repairs to the police department and school board before Walk-to-School day. Organizers say that by taking something negative and turning it into a positive, like Walk-to-School day, they were able to ...

Read More

Toolkit: Orange County’s Walk-to-School Day Toolkit



Organizing a Walk-to-School day can be one great way of keeping kids healthy and active. It can also serve to improve neighborhood safety, and capture the attention of parents, local school officials, and policymakers. According to a success story from the California Endowment, Latino children in Santa Ana organized a successful walk-to-school day event in 2007. Before the event, students conducted a walking audit of their neighborhood streets to identify sidewalks and intersections that needed improvements. Then students and teachers presented pictures of the areas that needed repairs to the police department and school board before Walk-to-School day. Organizers say that by taking something negative and turning it into a positive, like Walk-to-School day, they were able to ...

Read More

Report: Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School from 2007 to 2012



Learn more about the latest trends in walking and biking to school. According to this 2013 report produced by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, more kids are walking to school across the country. The report found that the percentage of kids both walking to and from school increased between 2007-2012. This perhaps is due to the rise in Safe Routes to School  programs across the country. To learn more about this growing trend, access the October 2013 report here. ...

Read More

10 Ideas for Healthy Fundraising!



Alliance for a Healthier Generation provides a guide for healthy fundraisers, giving these 10 examples of how to replace food sale fundraisers with healthy alternatives; Crestview Elementary in Carlisle, PA held a fundraising campaign called Promotion Motion. Students obtained sponsors and then participated in various challenges each week such as TV Free Week, No Fast Food Week and a Family Fitness Challenge. Teachers and parents participated and there was a tremendous response from local businesses. They raised $31,322 in six weeks of healthy activities! High Bridge Elementary School in Prince George’s County, MD raised $3000 during a 30 minute “Fun Run.” Students asked for donations per lap and ran as many as they could in 30 minutes. The funds were to be used for a new ...

Read More

San Antonio Teachers Create Mud Runs for Latino Kids



If you’ve ever dreamed of making a difference in your community (or if you’re a kid who doesn’t mind getting a little dirty), then you’ll want to hear about the amazing mud run program, Mile Strong Kids by Fred Bailon and John Soto. Bailon and Soto, two elementary-school teachers in the majority Latino city of San Antonio, Texas, organized a one-day mud run to start “standing up to obesity.” The event was so surprisingly successful that it led to the formation of a running club and non-profit group to organize mud runs all over town. Obesity Spurs Big Idea Fred Bailon and John Soto are teachers at W.Z. “Doc” Burke Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas. About 87% of Burke students are Latino and 82.3% of the school’s population is economically disadvantaged, ...

Read More

Thirteen-Year Old Girl Develops ‘We Walk’ App to Get Kids Walking



Thirteen-year-old Estrella Hernandez, a member of the Mayor's Fitness Council Student Ambassadors, is making waves with her idea for an innovative fitness app made just for youth. Her app, "WeWalk," aims to motivate kids to exercise by using technology that they are familiar with. Kids play games on apps all the time, but now they can lead healthier lives while continuing to play. After learning about health issues and how obesity is affecting other youth her age, Estrella was inspired to combine health and technology. She has already received $12,500 in funding from the 80/20 Foundation and HEB. Building the app isn't simple, as it involves maintaining users accounts, monitoring how much users walk, and using Geo locations. Once the app is developed and beta tested, it will ...

Read More

Latinos From Dove Springs Community Work to Have Cleaner and Safer Parks



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 ...

Read More