By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
City officials are hoping to see a mass movement toward “Let's Move Cheney,” a coalition that will look for methods of improving fitness and reducing obesity in the local community.
A kick off meeting will be held Friday, April 9 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the City Hall auditorium for all organizations and individuals interested in lending their resources and talents to the cause. Parks and Recreation Department director Paul Simmons, who is spearheading the effort along with Mayor Tom Trulove, said the meeting will help identify long-term partnerships and volunteers who will be asked to define goals and discuss a work plan.
Simmons said the Cheney version of “Let's Move” was adopted from a national campaign to end the childhood obesity epidemic. According to federal statistics, obesity rates in this country have tripled in the last 30 years and nearly a third of U.S. children are now overweight or obese.
“Everyone knows that obesity is a drastic problem, but we want to talk about what we can do on a local level,” Simmons said.
Conversations with the Spokane Regional Health District, and the Washington state Department of Health helped Simmons secure a $1,500 state grant to get the project off the ground and form a general plan. “So far the whole concept has been kept purposely broad in order to build this project around those folks who come to the table,” he said.
Simmons said the project will focus on certain core areas, however. Identifying immediate or long-term partnerships promises stability and opportunities to work toward a common purpose. Public education and outreach through events such as a local health summit or healthy cooking classes will get the community involved.
Another avenue, analyzing the local health environment, could help generate ideas for its improvement. Simmons suggested sending volunteers out for a bike ride to analyze the condition of local trails or having them visit local markets to see how many healthy options are available. “We want to look and see, does our environment encourage healthy lifestyles?” he said. “It's important for us to find where we can gauge progress, especially when seeking grants.”
Overall, the “Let's Move Cheney” project will position the city well for state and federal grants, Simmons said, which could fund anything from health-related events to new trails projects, but a lot can be done to incorporate the project in ways that require little or no funding as well, like a new “Let's Move” section in the Parks and Recreation brochure.
Simmons said a number of citizens are eager to get involved and he's already fielded interest from a handful of area organizations, such as the Spokane Youth Sports Association and Eastern Washington University. “The potential is there,” he said. “We hope to see a very positive response.”
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at ryan@cheneyfreepress.com.
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