Press Archive...............................
Track Shack Foundation and Get Active Orlando Start Senior Walking Program
JANUARY 2007- Get Active Orlando and the Track Shack Foundation joined together to establish a free walking program at the Mayor William Beardall Senior Center. The walking program is offered to seniors on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. through March 22, 2007. The program is free to seniors and is an effort to provide a way for seniors in downtown Orlando to be active. Track Shack Foundation Coach Jim Reed leads about 15 people as they walk around downtown.
Get Active Orlando applied for funding from the Track Shack Foundation in 2006, receiving funding for a 10-week walking session at Mayor William Beardall Senior Center. The session includes a professional walking coach who helps seniors meet individual achievement goals.
Get Active Orlando is part of a national initiative called Active Living by Design (ALbD), funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As one of only 25 community partnerships chosen to participate in this initiative, Get Active Orlando works to establish innovative approaches to increase physical activity through community design, public policies and communication strategies. The Get Active Orlando initiative includes an Active Living Advisory committee, created in August of 2006, advising the City of Orlando’s Council on active living issues.
By promoting at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily, Get Active Orlando works in the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA), specifically targeting seniors and families in the Parramore neighborhood. The initiative’s general message is that physical activity does not have to be achieved by typical exercise methods such as going to the gym or running a marathon. Rather, people can be physically active daily by making choices such as walking to lunch instead of driving or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Get Active Orlando strives to provide these opportunities to target populations.
Serving as a partner cooperative, the Get Active Orlando committee advises the City Council on active living issue. These partners include: Arlington Concord Neighborhood Association; Florida Hospital; Orlando Regional Healthcare; Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation; Orange County Health Department; City of Orlando – Families, Parks and Recreation; Florida Freewheelers; UCF School of Nursing; Rippe Health Assessment; Johnson’s Diner/Taylor Foods Incorporated and City of Orlando – Transportation. The lead agency for this grant is the City of Orlando – Planning Division, working with Dean Grandin as the Project Director, Amy Stachnik (Rippe Health Assessment) is the chairperson and Malisa McCreedy (City of Orlando – Transportation Department) is the Vice-Chairperson. For more information on the national initiative, please visit www.activelivingbyesign.org.
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