Q: Is there anyone from LERN who can help me find some of the latest data and trends with respect to healthy communities, especially as it relates to children? We are primarily looking for communities/cities/park agencies that are being successful with targeting, reaching, and seeing change with respect to healthy living and practices (battling the obesity epidemic). OR a list of best practices we could look at (based upon research).
A: We recently had a LERN member program tell us a wonderful story about its success with healthy living initiatives. Below is the story they shared, and if you are interested in contacting the LERN member for more information, I'm sure they would be happy to talk or email with you.
City of Rockville, MD Department of Recreation and Parks
Betsy Thompson and Pam Baxter
We all know the importance of fitness programming for recreation departments across the country. And the focus in recent years on incorporating youth fitness programs has been addressed by LERN member organizations like the City of Rockville Department of Recreation and Parks in exemplary ways. The Department’s programming always included fitness, but a little over two years ago, Rockville became one of the first cities in the nation to sign up for First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
As part of a buy-in to the idea of actively promoting its fitness programming to get families and especially youth involved, the department set up activities for families and children based on the focus of the initiative using the Let’s Move logo. The department holds kick-off events for its summer camps and at the city’s playgrounds, with as many as 750 people in attendance. Kid Kinetic summer camps are targeted to parents who need to get their kids moving without a commitment to a sport or sports league. Working with a grant from the Federal government to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety, the city offers instruction in pedestrian safety to K-2 students in all schools, and in bicycle safety to all 3-6 grade students – all intended to encourage kids to walk and bike – to get moving!
The department’s most recent event was a Healthy Living Expo – an outreach effort that quickly became the “1st Annual,” with almost 1,000 attendees. The public event drew not only parents and their kids, but seniors who came to share their stories about the importance of healthy living – making the event an intergenerational success. Stages and booths were set up for healthy cooking demos, yoga demos, blood pressure screening, organic foods, and much more – all sponsored by local vendors. A line dance turned into a “flash mob” that was enjoyed by hundreds of participants. An obstacle course in the town center was both popular and fun for attendees. The department wanted to increase awareness of all of the city’s Community Centers and parks – and they were all represented at the Expo. And because of the support of local vendors, the department was able to provide the successful event for a total cost of only $420!
The City of Rockville boasts the location of a park within a ten-minute walk from every home. The main goal of the department’s ongoing efforts is to convey the value of well-organized play to help create a healthy community – an important goal for which all recreation departments can strive.