The city of Austin is offering 10 mini-grants of $2,500 each to organizations that want to create sustainable urban agriculture projects, like community gardens. Even after the grant application period is over in May 2013, the city of Austin still provides great resources about learning how to grow healthy changes on City land. Check out their informational guide and go ask your neighbors if they want to bring healthy fresh produce into their community. There are many benefits of planting a garden on City land, like free water, but be sure to check out all the rules listed in the packet before you get started. Happy ...
Irma Rivera, a mother living in Santa Anna, had nowhere to take her children to play after school. Because school playgrounds were locked up during after school hours she would take her kids to play in the school parking lot. It was when Irma saw a child almost get hit by a car that she realized, “enough was enough,” something had to be done to have more playspace for her children. Having already attended some Latino Health Access diabetes classes at a local school, Irma decided to approach the organization to ask for their support. She asked, “can we organize the moms and get a park,” and Latino Health Access’ response was, “with your help, we will.” Moms and children approached city council members and expressed the need for a park in their community. There was a ...
The World Fit Walk organization, a program sponsored by Olympic athletes, is working to get children moving in 50 schools across the United States. In a news article, Education Week reports that close to 38,000 students would be logging the amount of miles they walked over the course of a six week period. At the end of the six week period students would compare their results with other schools in the area. Those who log 120 miles or more are eligible to receive the President's Active Lifestyle Achievement Award. To learn more about the World Fit Walk organization visit their webpage and Facebook page. Read about how Daniel Herrera a student from Los Olivos School worked towards achieving his goal by participating in the World Fit Walk ...
Through the Healthy Eating, Active Communities program, a group of teenagers living in Chula Vista joined efforts to improve their neighborhood park. To bring about this transformation, in June 2007, local promotoras---Spanish speaking community health workers---mentored a group of five high school students, teaching them leadership development and advocacy skills. Students then interviewed local residents and surveyed the park for needed improvements. Soon city officials were invited to attend a public meeting held at the park. Citizens expressed their concerns, which were later presented to the city council, by the group of students and promotoras. By September 2008, Lauderback Park was officially reopened. Students and promotoras involved in this effort were recognized for their ...
What started out as a small community effort to clean up a neighborhood, has now evolved into an innovative self-sustaining, green park project. The idea of building a park near WAYS elementary school first came to Heal the Bay and Kendra Okonkwo, founder of the WAYS elementary charter school in South LA, after conducting an environmental assessment of the WAYS neighborhood. Okonkwo and Refugio Mata, a program organizer for Heal the Bay, noticed an abandoned alley behind the WAYS school. Because park space in the area was limited, they decided to work with community residents and form collaborations with local organizations, to develop plans for a park. Students from WAYS and community members offered their support by providing input, participating in neighborhood meetings, and ...
Actor and New Orleans native Wendell Pierce saw the extreme devastation in his hometown caused by hurricane Katrina. While city has since rebuilt and is slowing getting back to busy as usual, one major resource is still lacking in many low-income areas: a grocery store. Consequently, the health of many residents has suffered. Pierce wanted to do something for his struggling hometown. Along with his business partners, Pierce invested in a chain of convenience stores, Sterling Express, and a full-service grocery store, Sterling Farms. Sterling Farms opened in March 2013 and is in a "food desert," a neighborhood where residents must travel more than a mile to a store selling fresh food. Besides stocking bunches of fresh fruits and vegetables, the convenience store chain caters to other ...
When it comes to our food environment, every small step towards making the easy choice the healthy choice is important. Texas State Representative Naomi Gonzales introduced a bill that would promote healthier purchases with SNAP benefits by restricting food retailers from associating SNAP with junk food. For example, a retailer would not be allowed to advertise their participation in the SNAP program by placing a sticker near a display of candy bars. The bill went into affect September 1st ...
In order to address the rising trend of obesity in the state of Utah, public and private partners gathered to develop the Utah Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan. This 10-year strategic plan provides strategies and addresses environmental issues that may impede individuals from participating in physical activity. Those who participated in the development of the plan are listed. The plan outlines specific goals for specific settings along with short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies to get there. Examples of settings where changes may occur include, the work place, schools, and community settings. The plan also addresses health equity and acknowledges that lower income and minority populations are less have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Plans for ...
On May 15, 2013, youth activists, teachers, and health advocates across Virginia came together to change the way the community thinks about drinks. Rev Your Bev Day events focused on collecting information on what Virginians think about sugary drinks and what they know about their health effects. Anyone who hosts a Rev Your Bev Day event had the unique opportunity to work on this statewide data collection project by collecting quick and easy Rev Your Bev Day surveys at their event. Event organizers mailed the completed surveys back to Rev Your Bev headquarters free of charge. Survey results will be analyzed and released in Fall 2013. This is a great, hands-on way for Virginians to advocate for healthier drinks in their state. The event was sponsored by Y St., the Virginia Foundation ...
