|
2011 Get It - Do It! Awards
Announced!
Seven small towns have been awarded Get It - Do It! grants for 2011.
The $3,000 grants which support youth-adult partnerships that promote
community health were awarded to: Alton, Council Grove, Glasco,
Grainfield, Grinnell, Mt. Hope, and Smith Center. Funded projects
range from Alton building a skate park and engaging the "White
Chocolate" company of Hays, KS to establish skate events for
surrounding communities to Smith Center's design and construction of a
nature/fitness trail.
For the Official News Release,
CLICK HERE.
The towns were selected after a competitive review of proposals and
site visits by K-State Research and Extension personnel. In order to
be awarded the funds each community had to demonstrate: a) active
involvement and decision-making of youth, b) desire to support
positive youth-adult partnerships, c) projects designed to address the
"cornerstones" of Community Health, and d) being Kansas PRIDE members
in good standing. Additionally, local Extension agents were required
to be involved in the development of the grant proposals and to
participate in the community youth development projects should they be
funded. Agents sharing in the awards are: Laura Marks (Morris County),
Sarah Molzhan (Post Rock Dist.), Pat Gerhardt (River Valley Dist.),
Sandra Wick (Smith County), Bev Dunning (Sedgwick County), Jennifer
Schoenfeld (Gove County).
Next steps for Get It - Do It! communities with their PRIDE, school
and Extension partners include attending the 7th Annual Extension
HealthFest! (April 1-2) at Rock Springs 4-H Center. This year's
HealthFest! focuses on building youth-adult partnerships, learning
"old world" games (e.g., Bocce Ball) and working with K-State
Department of Kinesiology staff to learn more about city parks and
park audits.
In
addition to fostering adult-youth partnerships, the Get It - Do It!
communities are also required to partner with the local K-State
Research and Extension offices for educational program support. The
support provided by the local Extension unit this past year included
electronic survey assistance, nutrition educational programs,
nutrition education displays for youth fun day, coordination of the
Walk Kansas program. Upon completion of their projects,
communities become eligible to be designated as "Healthy Communities"
by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Building
on partnerships between PRIDE, youth organizations and local K- State
Research and Extension, these communities not only get-it-and-do-it (
get the money and do the project), they impact the wellness of those
living in their communities moving towards not only healthy people but
also healthy communities. This has a long term impact for all.
For more information about the Get It - Do It! program, contact:
Kansas PRIDE (785) 532-5840 or Elaine Johannes
ejohanne@ksu.edu, (785) 532-7720.
For the application information and requirements,
please CLICK HERE.
[Top of Page]
Get It - Do It!
PRIDE Communities
Receive Funding for Improvements!
An innovative grant program is helping Kansas
communities offer a variety of healthy activities for all ages,
including a new walking trail, sand volleyball court and, yes, even
the hiring of a water aerobics instructor for a small city´s swimming
pool.
Each of the new projects is being funded with the help of a "Get it -
Do It!" grant, said Elaine Johannes, Kansas State University Research
and Extension youth development specialist who is working to make the
community-based health-promotion projects happen.
The grant awards of $3,000 to each community support collaborative
planning and implementation of community-based health-promotion
programs, Johannes said. The effort is sponsored by Kansas PRIDE
Program, a volunteer-driven community development program co-
administered by K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas
Department of Commerce, and Healthy Kansas, a health-promotion
initiative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
In addition to funding, grant recipients attend workshops to learn
more about developing youth-and-adult partnerships to build health-promoting activities into day-to-day life in their communities, said
Trudy Rice, K-State Research and Extension PRIDE representative.
The partnership of local PRIDE Programs, which already have a working
volunteer network, with Extension offices that know how to build
successful community collaborations helps to give communities a sound
foundation to build from, Rice said.
Combining the interests and efforts of youth and adults to form an
intergenerational action committee also lends support to the health-promotion effort, said Johannes, who has been active in the statewide
push for walking and hiking trails in recent years.
"Grant projects vary, but share a common goal of encouraging youth and
adults within the community to create appealing activities that
contribute to a healthy lifestyle," Johannes said.
To read an overview of the PRIDE Communities and projects involved,
CLICK HERE.
[Top of Page]
|
