Our Partners:
GET FIT ITASCA
Accomplishments:
Active Living Promotional Project (Grand Rapids and Coleraine): 2011 We worked with volunteers and the cities of Grand Rapids and Coleraine to purchase and install 6 promotional kiosks. The kiosk are a one stop shop for the location of all the local trails and sidewalks. Read the maps on site or take a hand held map with you!
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Grant (2009 to 2012): We worked with ISD 317 for the past two years to secure grants from the Minnesota Department of Education that delivered a fresh fruit or vegetable snack daily to the students at Kin Elementary. This snack opportunity not only increased the children’s knowledge of fruits and vegetables and daily nutrients, it also saved parents money and brought more employment opportunities into the community.
The Great Winter Meltdown. A weight loss/maintenance program that motivated over 400 participants to exercise and eat more healthfully.
Itasca Walking Program. Free and open to the public Memorial Day to Labor Day, YMCA staff conducted a walking clinic and class that led to the establishment of the Itasca Walking Club.
Itasca County Active Resource Guide. Researched, produced and published print and online versions of the guide that highlights the varied active recreational resources available in the county.
Pioneering Healthier Communities grant. Receipt of this grant from the YMCA of the USA and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, put Itasca County on the national map for healthy lifestyle change. Granted to promote policy change in the community that is supportive of active living and good nutrition, Pioneering Healthier Communities provides cornerstone support and technical assistance for the hard work of creating policy and lifestyle change that result in a healthier community.
Active Community Workshops. Conducted in Grand Rapids by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, these workshops facilitated community members’ identification of opportunities and barriers to active living and recommendations for change.
Safe Routes to Schools. Experts from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking conducted workshops in the Grand Rapids, Deer River and Greenway school districts to lay the groundwork for active school transportation.
Healthy Food Choices.The Healthy Eating group is working with the Greenway area communities to increase the availability of healthy food choices at school and community concession stands and vending machines.
Riverview Playground. Bringing together the original partners in the project – I.S.D. 318, the City of Grand Rapids and the YMCA, Get Fit Itasca rallied community support to refurbish and ensure ongoing maintenance and safety of the playground.
Trail and Sidewalk G.I.S. Mapping. During the summer or 2009, Get Fit Itasca funded a GIS intern from Itasca Community College to add sidewalks (and their current condition), trails and gaps to the City of Grand Rapids’ G.I.S. database. Handheld maps will be produced and trailhead map kiosks constructed to promote active transportation in the community.
State Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grant. Get Fit Itasca is Itasca County’s home for SHIP projects. An important part of Minnesota’s health reform initiative, the goal of SHIP is to help Minnesotans live longer, better, healthier lives by reducing the burden of chronic disease through evidence-based strategies to create changes in policies, environments and systems to support healthy behaviors in the population.