C is for COMMUNITY (and *you* thought it was for COOKIE!)

by

Over the almostyear we’ve been together we’ve talked a great deal about the importance of community.

The fact that, no matter what one’s goals are, it is crucial to have a support team behind you the entire way.

The ole no man is an island concept.

It took almost the entire movie, but even goodoleHugh realized that two people aren’t enough. You need backup. If you’re only two people, and someone drops off the edge, then you’re on your own. Two isn’t a large enough number. You need three at least.

Life takes a village (or a Bumbling Band). I’m fortunate to have an amazing network of family, friends & strangerfriends (online peeps whom I’d not recognize were I to pass them on the proverbial street, but upon whom I rely almost DAILY for advice).

Im also beyond fortunate to have a sister (or sisterfriend as we like to refer to each other) who lives in the same town that I do.

A sisterfriend who is working on building her own community and who asked if she might pick your collective Bumbling Band brains a bit along the way.

As MizFit’s real-life sister-friend – I have great admiration for the “Queen of Community Building.”

Not only has she assembled an active group of participants, but she has brought together people from all walks of life who share a common bond, a commitment to maintaining health – both our own and that of our individual community’s.

Like everyone, I wear many hats besides that of MizFit’s sister.

I am mother, a friend, and a health policy analyst -which is a fancy way of saying – I spend my time looking for examples of community-based programs that support and promote healthy lifestyles.

For example, I recently learned of a program in Baltimore which pairs low-income women with “birth advocates” to guide them through the pre- and post-natal process.

I also discovered another program, in San Antonio, Texas, which provides free breast cancer screening, services and supports to uninsured women in the community. These are the types of programs that have profound impacts on health, but receive little, if any, publicity.

So, I am here, riding the sister’s coattails, asking for your help.

As a part of Leading Healthy Communities , an online library of these kinds of health initiatives, I am gathering as many examples of creative community projects as possible. My purpose is to document these efforts, so that other groups can replicate them in their communities.

Are you aware of examples from your community? Maybe it’s the running/walking, nutrition program and gardening program your son participates in after school, or the smoking cessation program your brother used to finally quit smoking after 15 years. Anything which your community has been cutting edge enough to implement (MizFit note: SisterFit knows us. We all about the flattery up in herre).

Here’s your chance to toot your own horn or somebody else’s & spread the word about positive activities going on in your own backyard.

There you go, People. A chance to brag about your town’s healthy living initiatives, a chance to lament what you have SEEN DONE other places and *wish* the people in your town would get off their asses and implement, & the chance to help SisterMiz out.

Mind drawing a complete blank? (not mine. remember this? I thought it was such a cool idea & was surprised more cities/towns didnt follow suit!)

Nary an initiative nor a thought for one come to mind?

Perhaps this will JOLT your brain awake: for the low low price of a comment below you’re also entered to win your own copy of the accidentalcommunitybuildingreferencingmovie About a Boy.

A mitzvah? a chance to win? what’s not to love.

please to hit us all up in the comments.

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Comments

  1. I think the key line in the above is “…These are the types of programs that have profound impacts on health, but receive little, if any, publicity.” I’m sure there are initiatives like this in Vancouver, but how do you know about them? What’s more, if you are running a program like this, how do you get the word out to the people who need it?

    At any rate, one of the best programs that I’m aware of (and it’s in most cities, I think) is big brothers / big sisters. So many young people don’t have a mentor during their formative years. It can really help. Just my two bits.

    – Dave

  2. Hi! (Waving wildly at Miz and her sister!) OK this is where I will come out of hiding and admit that I’m not very community oriented. *sigh* But I will look around and see if there are any programs in my area that are worth mentioning!!

  3. While in PT school, I was participating in a research study (read: vehemently trying to get my name published in a medical journal) and we would gather data at senior citizen community centers. I am not sure what they are formally called, but being that I was in South Florida, they were everywhere! These little communities were great! The local senior citizens ran it themselves & they would cook food for the members and deliver food to those less mobile, they formed a rich social network for one another & it was extremely encouraging (needless to say, I gained a great experience from it, even though our paper didn’t get published).

  4. Hi MizFit and Sisterfriend,

    Strange(r)friend here…

    I’m going with something we have going on where I work. Does it apply to communities, too? Maybe…

    We’re a small company, and one of the things we’ve really stressed over the last five years or so has been wellness. As part of that, we have a doctor who visits us every couple of weeks. He doesn’t practice normal medicine anymore, he just works with companies on wellness initiatives. Anyway, he visits about twice a month, and meets with anyone who wants to see him – about anything. Want to quit smoking? Having problems mentally? Looking for an exercise program? Want your bp checked? Etc. Etc. And then he also puts on some program for the whole company about twice a year – for example – the effects of metabolic syndrome. And he just kind of makes the rounds, sees how everyone is doing when he’s in – making him very approachable. It works well at a company – and really, that in a sense is a community. For a larger community, would this work? I think it could, although on a different level possibly…

  5. I am not sure I am getting exactly what you mean here.

    There are many things happening in my community but not enough of them are for free and, since I am a SAHM, I wish that there were more!

    I also love the movie about a boy.
    I hadn’t thought too much about the sense of community there. A community IS what you make it.

  6. My husbands company seems do to a lot of things from hosting weightwaters to doing weightloss challenges for the workers (to keep them working and not sick I am sure)

    Is that what you mean SisterMiz??

    I find my community HERE.

    I start my day with MizFit and then return to see what the rest of my community says about the post.

  7. This is where I *shine*

    strangaaafriend heeeerrrrrreeee

    As a social worker/case manager, I know a LOT about the community and what programs are available. If your sister wants to e-mail me, I can give her contact info for services in the Capital Region of NY that help underprivileged people. One program she might want to look into is “Eat Smart NY” offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension. It’s a nutrition program that offers free cooking utensils, foods and receipes, as well as budgeting food dollars etc. to income eligible populations.

  8. THANKS SO MUCH YOU GUYS.

    SisterFit is aMIZmazing. seriously. she’s doing all this and scheduled to have a baby on friday.

    (TMI? sure—but she’s awesome)

  9. sorry. I am not a lot of help here either and I think it is because there is not enough in my community for free.

    All the community center stuff is low cost but still cost.

    I like Andrea find my community here and I htink that is because there is nothing else in my area.

    Sorry not to help more.

  10. Ok, I think this is cool. My son goes to Tappan Middle School here in Ann Arbor, and they have a garden and…well…it’s early, let me cut and paste!

    The Agrarian Adventure a local nonprofit, working in partnership with Tappan to enrich students’ connections with the foods that they eat, their personal health, and the health of their community, received a grant of over $20,000 to build a shed, greenhouse and adobe oven. The Tappan garden produces food for school and the community.

  11. had to pop in and add, should you stop by today Dragonmamma, *I* am not sending the movie.
    Shipping it I mean.

    That way it shall arrive before 2010.

    (Toddlers + Post Office = Massive ‘mounts of Mayhem. Who knew?)

  12. Well my “community” would be all the people who support me and who walk with me exercise with me etc. I think no matter where you are who you are you can form a community. High fives to you Mizfit and your sisterfriend you are both amazing people.

    Mara
    http://24stepstogo.blogspot.com/

  13. Ok. I am a little help but not a lot.
    At the community center where I take a pottery class I have seen fliers what looks like seniors helping seniors.

    Organizing walking groups and exercise classes I think for free?

    I will look next time I go.

    I like the question for me in the sense of where is my community?

    I am so very busy I fear I have neglected all but online.

  14. I will look around my community as well. I wish there were more free healthcare offerings but I do not think that there are where I live.

    I am like bea as well and am actually ok with it.

    I am lving a full healthy live which leaves me little free time for a community outside my family and that is why I read blogs and look to MizFit.

  15. I know my school has one of the nation’s top brain cancer centers. We have the leading technology, oncologists, and researchers. As a part of the community awareness angle, which the school is very big on, the Brain Cancer Center for Excellence hosts an annual Brain Health Awareness Season. Certainly they focus on teaching people about brain cancers – symptoms, screening, treatment plans – but they also spend time focusing on Alzheimer’s and dementia as well. It’s important information about diseases that absolutely must be caught early if treatment is going to be effectual.

    Great job, SisterFit! Getting people information about health and well being is incredibly important. Keep up the great work!

  16. I can’t think of anything right now, besides this thing where restaurants donate their leftover food to homeless shelters, but I’m not sure if that’s what you meant.

  17. Sisterfriend here.

    Let me try again. Thinking about yesterday and all the great thoughts on personal responsibility — these are programs that among other things – look to help you to kick yourself in the butt and make it easier for you to take control of your own health.

    So are targeted at young people, elderly, or people with chronic diseases (like diabetes) who logically need more help. Others are just plain old — let me help you kick that nasty smoking habit types of programs.

    I love the examples of work-based programs. These are exactly the types of programs I was thinking of — love how companies will put in money if it will help their bottom line by reducing healthcare costs.

  18. Welllllllll, my community hasn’t got much going in the healthwise catagory. As a matter of fact my state hasn’t got much either. I am from West Virginia and you may or maynot have read about it in the papers recently that Huntington is at the top of all the bad things for our health. Although, when I decided to lose weight and become healthier I tried like the dickins to get all my “fat accuantences” to join me to no avail. Guess I’m just not a leader.

    So I guess this comment is to just enter the contest :o)

  19. Yes the husband get a lot of offerings at work (mainly weightloss as detailed above for the reasons above) and I need more as a free lance consultant.

    I fear my community has forgotte n me which is why I am here.

    I want to be on an island with hugh please.

  20. Being a teacher, I’m automatically part of a lovely community of people with people working towards a common goal. There are always fitness challenges and walking clubs…

    P.S. About A Boy is one of my favorite movies!

  21. I know of a church in a city a few hours from where I live who have an initiative to help those in need, no strings attached. The area where they found the most need was in a nudist colony in their area. For some churches this may have created an issue but not this church. They went in and worked on homes that were run down, in need of some repair and furnishings, did the job and even had lunch with some of the people in this community. I thought that was pretty cool considering the dynamics.

    I would love the name of the program or more information on the “birth advocates” program. Could I ask Misfit’ssisterfriend for more info. on that? That is as long as she is not presently advocating for her own birth. 😉

  22. I spend time with a group that provides a program for those with mental health issues who have or are likely to get diabetes through unhealthy living issues!
    We go for weekly walks (2-3 times a week), they offer yoga, dieticians teach them how to cook and the best choices in foods etc… It’s called minds in motion!!

  23. I started a group of my own with friends called The PACT–it used to stand for something amusing, but now I can’t remember what it is. We were all trying to get fit, and it was a big help for a long time to email and discuss whenever we were together (we do a lot of gigs together, so that was pretty often). But a series of tragedies to the individual members (family deaths etc.) slowed down the PACT stuff…who wants to write about how many lbs you’ve lost when people are grieving…

    I’m lucky to have an extremely supportive circle of friends and colleagues. Musicians are really good about that. On the other hand, I’m hundreds of miles from most of my family, which sucks. Thank God for Facebook.

  24. Another thing I thought of – when the hospital I am at went to a smoke free campus (I live in the hometown of RJ Reynolds, it took a while to get the non-smoking angle through here), the hospital gave away lots of free quit-smoking aids like patches and gum to all the employees who wanted to quit. They also held seminars on strategies to quit, free for employees and for the general public. Lots of people participated, including my coworker who has been smoke-free for over a year now!

  25. why does it speak volumes to me about the lack of initiatives that we don’t all think of a bunch immediately.

    Is that right, sistermiz?

  26. Ummmm. I’m a big fan of Parents as Teachers. It began in Missouri and is free through the school district. From pregnancy to age three, parents get regular visits from parent educators. My son is graduating (turning three) tomorrow and I’ve really appreciated the vision and hearing screenings, nutritional info, developmental games, and developmental screenings. My son has a little speech impediment that our parent educator caught and I would never have noticed. We’re able to get immediate (free!) help from a speech therapist instead of waiting until he’s in school.

  27. I feel so out of it. What movie are we talking about? I’ll take the island if it’s up for grabs for the contest 😉
    ***I just went back up and re-read. Silly me – see how observant I am? The movie will be just as good I’m sure. lol.

    I can’t help much. I’m with most people in that there’s not a lot of publicity so I’m clueless.

  28. Just found out a couple days ago about how there’s these 4 women in my city who set up a walking program for all over the province. They have written a few books and have a following and everything. And they just go for walks and anyone can go with them and they hike all over the province, just admiring the beauty and enjoying the good health benefits that comes from walking.

    I was so ecstatic to find out about it. Walking love.

    Also something my rhetorical criticism prof said the other day reminded me about another kind of community… the community of people who cross country ski. Long story short, she was talking about the rhetoric of cross country skiers, and how its a very distinct community built up of strangers who will smile and encourage as you pass each other. Love the skiing and the community that comes with it.

    PS Congrats on the baby SisterFit!

  29. Is it wrong that as soon as I read “no man is an island” I immediately thought of Jon Bon Jovi and Hugh Grant? I obviously watched too much ABC Family while I was home over break 🙂

    For a long while, I felt that I could only depend on myself for things. However, you need to open up, and include other people on this journey called LIFE. You can’t just do it on your own… it’s a miserable experience. A lot of people told me that I shouldn’t blog about my weight loss because… GASP!… what if I don’t lose all the weight I want to/ didn’t lose weight quickly/ etc. But at the same time, my family, friends, and now my blogger friends are my support system. I don’t know what I would do without them.

  31. OK… my community ROCKS. We have senior and multigenerational centers everywhere… they have fitness rooms, social halls, game rooms, water parks, classes in everything from spanish to pottery to belly dancing, day trips for seniors to various sites of interest around the state, lecture series… on and on and on.

    The membership to these wonders?

    $13/ year

    Since coming to Albuquerque I’ve had more opportunities than I’ve ever had before at prices I can afford. This is the biggest little city I’ve ever lived in!

    In addition to all these personal growth opportunities, there are programs at the local colleges, zoo, aquarium, museums, for people of all ages… and there are various free activities (from music to dancing, to education programs) free at the local libraries. AND there is a very active newcomers group which has day trips though Albuquerque, different neighborhoods have (mapped) walking tours, and of course being so close to so much public land (and holding so much greenspace) there are hiking and biking trails that are maintained by the public.

    For me, though, some of the most rewarding activities in our community has been the environmental volunteerism. We have so many people turning out from various groups to restore the riparian systems here in New Mexico by planting trees, doing clean ups, and reconstruction of water diversion structures.

  32. I am no help either will ask the girlfriend!

    Add the youtube link Miz.

    I’m not a fan of chick flicks but Killing Me Softly was way funny.

  33. Exactly mizfit. There is such a lack of focus on health — and certainly PREVENTION efforts.

    Part of the idea of the site — is to help those who say, “I have an opportunity for a grant, or a passion to help, what have others done successfully, how much did it cost? (funding sources), who was involved? (stakeholders) and who did it help (outcomes)?

  34. I’m lucky to live in a very community building volunteer filled city. there are a lot of community associations with low cost fun activities for kids and adults, as well as a lot of hiking and running groups. There are community classes for art, pottery and stained glass…I’ve met some really cool people thry them all.
    I got bitten by the bellydance bug taking community classes…I’m hooked. 🙂
    It’s so neat to see people of all ages out having fun, learning something new and enjoying themselves. Everyone should have the chance to play…adults need it just as much as kids do.

  37. I LOVE that scene (killing me softly).

    And yes.
    The first time I saw it I laughed & cried.

    Great movie.
    *great* book.
    (Author: Nick Hornby)
    Will link when @ computer!

  38. As a neonatal nurse, I should be aware of lots of these, right? Not so much…but I LOVE the movie, so am wracking my brain to think of what we do at our hospital.

    One of the things my head nurse used to do was to bring through a group of ‘at risk’ teenage girls to see the effects of drug abuse, cigarette smoking, and lack of prenatal care (babies born prematurely or with various health problems.) I think it is always an eye opener to see these babies in person rather than a quick picture or a word description.

    There is also a very large and active program of volunteer ‘grandparents.’ Older people who volunteer to come and just rock the babies whose parents are not available for one reason or another. I think this is as beneficial to the older folks as it is to the babies.

  39. One of my favorite things about Nashville is the community gardens. The gardens are located in low-income communities, and the surrounding neighborhoods are getting really involved. Some of my friends used to be in charge on one not too far from my office. I would go and watch young children grow their own food. They were so excited to see a seed they planted grow into something edible. I think more community gardens around the country would be a wonderful initiative as they allow families to grow their own food, and it gives kids something to do with their after-school and weekend hours.

  40. You’re community birth advocates reminded me of the doula scheme here in the UK http://www.doula.org.uk

    Other than that, there are so many community fitness centres, hosting goodness knows how many schemes and a public health service here in the UK, so its impossible to narrow it down.

  41. I can think of a couple of things being done here off the top of my head.

    My company started charging less for health insurance for non-smokers 2 years ago. As part of that program, they offer a free smoking cessation program to employees. If you are a smoker and enroll in the smoking cessation program, you would get the reduced rate (unless you were later unsuccessful).

    Second, one of the local hospitals along with the YMCA partnered this year for a weight loss challenge. It’s for groups of 4 in the community. The winning 3 groups (by % of weight lost) wins a cash prize. During the contest, anyone who registered for the contest has free access to the YMCA and the fitness and aquatic center at the hospital.

    I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.

  43. I live in a fairly populous county but it’s much less densely populated than other areas of my state. My county is big on open space preservation. They have opened many new parks with trails and even offer special programs in the parks. They have recently opened a canoe trail too.

    But when my community service 4-H youth group goes looking for ways we can interact with the community in a service project, we come up with very few options. Most of the service projects we have done have been of the donation variety. It is hard to find programs where we can help. And that makes it harder to find the programs if you are one of the ones that needs the help.

    NJ 4-H does have their Get Moving Get Healthy program which is targeted at youth, and they use it all over the state in schools, at camps, and at training conferences.

  44. Hi stranger 🙂 I will have to ponder this but the idea of a mitvah is fantastic and something that we should all really focus on in our hectic lives.

    xoxo

  47. hmm, my neighborhood has a email list. but i don’t really feel like it has a good sense of community.

    and i love that oklahoma city is going on a diet. lol.

  48. Well…..I am on the board of a children’s charity in my neighborhood that provides school supplies, Christmas gifts and Mother’s Day supplies (we host the “largest Mother’s Day party in the area!) for mothers in need. We are are involved in assisting a daycare for highschool students who want to complete their education.
    We are a small group but I think we do accomplish a lot!

  49. My local university, Utah State, has a community outreach program. You can find out more about it at
    http://www.usu.edu/hr/wellness/
    My hubby works with the university’s research foundation and we’ve taken advantage of their health screenings. My big wish is that people in my community cleared their sidewalks of snow during the wintertime. I like walking outside year-round, but it’s hard when the sidewalks are covered in snow and ice. When you shovel your sidewalk, you’re contributing to community fitness. I thank you, and any walkers in your neighborhood thank you!

  50. In San Francisco there are mobile health care units: camper vans staffed with medical professionals and equipment that travel to under-served communities and give medical care to people without insurance.

  51. Long time lurker, first time poster here! I just had to add my two cents worth on this one. My 10 yr old daughter participates in a program called Girls on the Run. (www.girlsontherun.org) The program works with girls ages 8-12 and trains them to run a 5K. Along the way, they do lots of self-respect, healthy living kinds of activities. After 10-12 weeks, they walk/run in a WonderGirl 5K – which is an amazing girl power event. At our winter race, there were almost 600 girls — and 1200 runners total, including coaches, parents, siblings and friends! It has made a HUGE change in my not-so-athletic daughter. She now wants to eat right, play sports, go out to run and come to the gym with me! It’s not free, but has scholarships so that anyone who wants to participate can — they even have special groups at the inner city schools. Amazing program!!!!

  52. In Santa Cruz, California I use several resources:

    http://www.womencaresantacruz.org/

    http://www.dominicanhospital.org/Medical_Services/Cancer_Care/052801
    (although this cancer center is affiliated with the local hospital, ANYONE can walk in and get help from the oncology nurses and use the library)

    In Santa Cruz, we have a community information database where you can search for help. This database is run from the main library, however, it is not something a typical library must do (though it sure helps the community and helps the library when it comes to counties looking for ways to cut costs — it’s an argument for the library database to continue to be maintained by librarians (people who know how to locate & disseminate information).

  53. There’s a tiny little RunTex that opened in Georgetown, Texas last year. It’s just a small running store, but they have so many community offerings. They have free running groups, a few free classes, and additional classes at an extremely low cost (think $10 for yoga). They had a free injury clinic where I was introduced to Active Release Technique and finally healed a knee injury. Changed my life.

    They don’t have their own website (bah!), but here’s the website of the larger RunTex group of stores: http://www.runtex.com

  54. wow.
    some pretty great things happening in other people’s communities!!

    Don’t have anything to add.

    yet.

  55. Love the moniker “sisterMiz.” Two things come to mind:

    http://www.ecologycenter.org/bcgc/
    The City of Berkeley has a collaborative gardening program in elementary and middle schools. The above site goes into detail but it’s meant to teach kids about organic food production and incorporate the food into school lunches.

    And, my former employer is on a health kick (as are many hospitals in CA thanks to the gov’s initiative in this area). They gave every employee a pedometer and then gave prizes when the employee reached 1 million steps. Every employee who reaches the million step mark gets the prize since it’s not a race. And, this organization pays the lion’s share of employee’s Weight Watcher fees (which makes me happy because I still work close by and this ensures our WW at Work can continue since that particuar employer can ensure the minimum number of members required to continue the At Work meetings).

  56. AGAIN, THANK YOU.

    when the sistermiz and I were mulling this post we werent sure if you guys would get it because I certainly did not and it took eight thousand explanations for me to have my AH HA!

    I underestimate the power of the Bumbling Bands Brains.

  57. Hi Carla,

    I absolutely agree – a support system is so important. On a kinda related topic, the idea of a community and support system has hit home for me in my own personal life throughout the last few years.

    I have had to make some changes with those that I spend my time with… tough changes, in order to surround myself with people who are positive and who help to push/pull me up rather than hold me back. Its a tough decision to make, but one that is necessary if we want to move forward in life, continuing to grow, learn, and flourish.

    Anyway, great post. I hope that more and more communities continue to make health and wellness a priority.

    And, oh, btw…Blog tag!! Don’t feel like you have to reciprocate, but it’s all in fun. I had a good time thinking about my own quirkiness at least. 🙂

    You’ve been tagged: http://livewell360.com/2009/01/blog-tag/

    Sheila

  58. I learned over christmas break (4 weeks in length!) that I hate going to lift weights or completing my cardio without my teammates. they make it fun. we laugh and suffocate (simultaneously) together almost everyday and I’m so excited to go back now!

  59. I don’t know any of the top of my mind. But I just wanted to say that I am totally inspired by this. If there ain’t one where I live, it is time to think about one. Loved this post.

  60. The thing that comes to my mind is the upcoming Pittsburgh Marathon which took a brief hiatus but is now back. At least in my circle of people there’s lots of buzz going around about being motivated to run/train/sign up for the marathon.

    You know Pittsburgh and how “small” it is… the marathon goes through pretty much every neighborhood in the city. It’s going to be a very exciting day! But unfortunately I won’t be able to participate or even watch because the day before is my bf’s brother’s wedding in another state. Next year!!

  61. shout out to portland oregon! we rock at this stuff! toot, toot!

    this is one of my favs….

    http://www.handsonportland.org

    their main idea is “be the change. volunteer.”

    sometimes it is so hard to know where to start when you want to volunteer. this place hooks you up with the right people so that you can help improve your community.

    another great community minded idea is to take an activity you love and look for ways to turn it into a way to help others.
    i love to craft! so i make wands and have partnered with local boutiques to sell them. i donate the time/materials and they donate the staff/space. together we donate ALL of the money that is made from them to an orginaization that helps mothers and their families with postpartum and antepartum depression. it is a fun way to do something i already enjoy and give back at the same time.

  62. You know Pittsburgh and how “small” it is.
    —–

    **sigh** I miss the ‘Burgh in many ways and that’s one of them.

    GO BIG BEN!

  63. we have a great group in our community right now called Friends of The Park. We have been doing fundraisers to put all new SAFER playground equipment and a better walking trail at our local park. We are getting closer!

  64. Um, well I don’t know if this counts. But we have a yearly Ride for Missing Children here. This ride has many components, not the least of which is that every year as many as 400 cyclists ride 100 miles on their bikes in a single day to raise awareness for missing and exploited children.

    We stop at many schools to teach our message of safety, both bike safety and personal safety (say no! and go tell if anyone makes you uncomfortable), as well as a message of health and fitness. One of the components is that as many as 100 new riders sign up every year, and they along with the experienced riders attend weekly training rides, have their bikes fit to them, attend classes, meetings and lectures, and become healthier, all while raising money for the poster initiative for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (Mohawk Valley Branch).

    We have helped to raise money for and distribut over 5 million posters on over 3000 targeted children and successfully recovered more than 2000 of them.

    This is all in a little place in upstate New York.

    You can see details here, or email me for info. I love this site. I’m glad you asked for something I could (maybe) help you with.

    http://www.rideformissingchildren.com/

  65. I don’t know of anything that started in my community, but I know there are so great programs that exist in my community.

    My very fave, that did start in Houston (I’m near Htown) is USAFit. It is a marathon training group for everyone from rookie to vet. I was lucky enough to be a part of and be a coach for one of the divisions, SW of Houston. TRUE community. It still, after a move, is a group I consider my extended family.

  66. The first thing that popped in my head was the stroller fitness class I used to take – and then teach. It was very similar to the franchise “Stroller Strides”. It focused on getting postpartum mom’s back in action and allowing her the convenience of bringing the babe along for the ride. It was a great social networking thing too for new moms.

    My sister is an OB/GYN and isn’t practicing at the time (they moved to Alabama last year). She is, however, involved in a program at their local hospital where they offer prenatal classes for free to women in need and as credit for attending the class – the expecting moms are given “baby boutique bucks” that they can spend at a baby boutique that is made up entirely of NEW donated items.

  67. Okay, this isn’t in my community per say, but I’ve come across it a number of times while trying to google my own blog (lol). It looks like a great program: http://www.fitgirls.org/.

    And About a Boy rocks! (I already own it on DVD, so need to win it, but I still wanted to help the MizFit’s sis.)

    🙂

  69. Ahem. ‘C’ is, of course, for Cammy.

    Okay, thinking of someone other than myself foraminute, and not entirely sure this is what you’re looking for but wanting to give them a plug anyway, a couple of fav projects in the Memphis area:

    Church Health Center, which provides health care for low income people and also offers wellness classes and a fitness center. They’re really changing people’s lives!
    http://www.churchhealthcenter.org/

    AND Healthy Memphis Common Table, which brings together people from across the community to promote healthier lifestyles.
    http://www.healthymemphis.org/

  70. Stopping by for a sec before I jump on the elliptical and watch Biggest Loser… waving to Dana!! (and Miz of course).

    There are a ton of programs in my area, but only a few that I can think of off the top of my head. Here in little ol’ Centerville UT, city utility fees are waived up to $100 for families of active military personnel. There’s also a program that helps match families searching for childcare (the care isn’t free, but I think the matching service is).

    We also have a running club in our area that is very cheap ($15 per year) that provides much support and camaraderie. Our city also does free concerts and movies in the park during the summer.

    At my office, our company provides free flu shots in November, and they also reimburse 100% the cost of Weight Watchers for a 12-week meeting stint, or a 3- or 12-month online membership. And, they provide a $40/month health insurance discount to non-smokers and provide resources for those who want to quit (some are free and others are low-cost).

    The YWCA in SLC has a program each December called Candy Cane Corner, where underprivileged women can come “shop” from donated (new) items to give to their families for Christmas. There’s also an organization called People Helping People that has a ton of free programs to help single mothers living in poverty (setting them up with mentors, dressing for job interviews, getting jobs, etc.).

    I’m sure if I looked I could find lots more, because I hear about them all the time. It really makes me feel fortunate that I don’t have to take advantage of many of these programs, but also good to know that they are there.

    And P.S. I would love to win the movie, because I never saw it, but wanted to, and the Hubs has a man-crush on Hugh Grant. Plus, I’m commenter #69- that’s got to count for something. ; )

  71. I cannot say enough good things about seeMOMMYrun.com — I have found some of my very best friends through this very grass-roots community based, now 40,000-member strong group!

    For those of you who said you are moms and can’r find good, free groups — check it out!!

  72. Seriously drawing a blank on this. Sorry, not much help. Would love to see yoga offered in the community for free like they do in the big cities. See Mommy Run is also a good one.

  73. To Canuckchick comment #21 Would love to know where this Nudist “Colony” is located. The ‘Colony’ movement as such, pretty much went by the board about 60 or so years a go in North America & even in Europe where it started. It has long long time ago been replaced by clubs , camps & resorts world wide.

    I myself live year around in a modern Nudist camp ground facility & have done so for 25yrs+ it’s my permanent home & I would really love to visit a old old time ‘colony’ just to see how it functions as they were pretty much gone before I was born. Heck! even the AANR office in Fla. would probably be interested in such a find.

    Please post the name & location of this ‘colony’ so we can pay a visit to get a in- site to yesteryear.

  74. Oh Sister Fit, hello (me and my sis refer to each other as Fristers:-) I want to be a health policy analyst. Sounds fun. Two programs for you to check out. First, just read in this mornings Star Tribune (www.startribune.com)this article “Help for Moms now to Awoid Problems Later” about the Nurse-Family Partnership, “a community health program already spreading across Minnesota and the nation,” which helps young mothers from pregnancy through the child’s 2nd year. Also another is Project Access, administered by several county medical socieies (this one I think started it: http://www.bcmsonline.org/pa/pp/), which helps physicians organize “volunteer hours” with uninsured or underinsured people who need healthcare.

  75. Late to convo., but on the healthy community initiative: Next MOnday (MLK National Day of Service), I am volunteering to work at an elementary school FARM, helping 3rd graders get their plots in order.

    The students grow fruits and veggies then take the food home to give their families more healthy stuff to eat. We know that when a kid takes part in growing a veggie, they are much more likely to eat it.

    This is in one of the poorest – and THE most gang-ridden and violent – city in the bay area.

  76. I’m very spoiled by the company I work for- they have the LiveWell program, which offers fitness programs, stop smoking programs, programs to help you get your cholesterol or diabetes under control, healthy pregnancy program, the list just keeps going.

    There are two HUGE gyms with a pool in one, tons of group classes, and free trainer programs, and the membership is subsidized by the company- normally $30 a month, but if you go 30x in 3 months, the price drops to $10 a month. And if you participate in the programs and go to the gym regularly, it all gets tracked and adds up to a premium reduction on our health insurance. The gym has a restaurant type place there too, where you can purchase prepared meals that are really healthy and tasty.

    I’m embarrassed to say that I JUST started really taking advantage of the LiveWell program, but its been an awesome boost on my journey! 🙂

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