P&RC to Consider Application for "Healthy Communities" Grant

IRONWOOD, MI - Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - Three central topics are on the agenda for the Monday, December 1, 2008, Parks and Recreation Committee (P&RC) meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM, following a 5:00 PM Public Input Session to consider routing snowmobiles on City streets.

In addition to discussing the City's trail system and considering the resignation of P&RC member Dave Peite, the Committee will look into the possibility of participating in the National Recreation & Park Association's (NRPA) "ACHIEVE Healthy Communities" Program.

NRPA was selected as a national organzation for chronic disease prevention and health promotion by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Part of the project will allow NRPA to fund 10 communties at $30,000 to focus and advance chronic disease prevention locally.

The award will be used over the course of one year to help 10 park and recreation agencies to affect significant change in their communities by working with local government organizations to implement a coordinated chronic disease prevention and health and wellness program.  The grant will also assist NRPA in developing online education and training modules that can be accessed by all local park and recreation agencies.

The application will be available in the first week of December 2008.  It is important to note that only Step Up to Health agencies can apply, however the process to become a Step Up to Health agency is straightforward. Selection of the park and recreation agencies will be based on such key criteria as rates of chronic diseases, overall community demographics and geography.  Please refer to the application FAQ for more information.  The application will remain available until January 9, 2009; funded agencies will be notified in March 2009.