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• Active Living For Life

Active Living For Life Initiative

Active Living For Life is a movement aimed at revolutionizing how people stay healthy in all stages of life through physically activity and good nutrition.

A few things that support this movement include providing more shade at outdoor recreation areas, building bike lanes and walking paths and encouraging more local Farmers Markets selling fresh produce.

The Active Living For Life initiative is a national movement sponsored by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and the YMCA of the USA in conjunction with partners including the National Association of City and County Health Organizations, National Parks and Recreation Association, and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.

Our local leadership team is comprised of representatives from Sarasota Health and Human Services, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, Venice Regional Medical Center, South County Family YMCA, Sarasota Schools, and several private citizens.

We are currently working on the following projects:

Focus Group Assessments – In the spring of 2010, ALFL conducted focus groups in the Venice area to hear from residents their ideas, needs, desires and opinions on matters that affect access to physical activity and healthy foods. We talked to groups from the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce, volunteers at Venice Regional Medical Center, several groups of students at Venice High School, a group of citizens at the South County YMCA, employees at Tervis Tumbler and several groups of parents of elementary and middle school students. Click here to read the summary report of the numerous focus groups.

Venetian Waterway Shade Tree project – we are proposing the planting of native shade trees along various stretches of the Venetian Waterway Park to provide shade and sun protection for people utilizing the walkway. We feel the Park is ideal in its encouragement of physical activity and healthy living as long as people will use it and in the summer months in Florida, sun protection is extremely important. Check back for updates on our progress to bring shade to the walkway.

Click here to read more about this project in the National Healthier Communities Newsletter

Body Mass Index (BMI) Intervention Plan – in partnership with the Sarasota County Wellness Coalition and Sarasota Schools, we are working on creating a standard protocol for intervention in cases of above average BMI measurements in school-age children. The State of Florida mandates that BMI be measured in certain grade levels along with vision and hearing screening. We feel that there is a responsibility to address areas of concern with parents and we are trying to devise the best approach and resources to provide parents with the information they and their children need to lead healthy lives.