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June 2018
Kids pause for peace during annual walk
Kids in the after school program at Cameron Community Ministries organized their sixth annual march for neighborhood peace and for safe and accessible play spaces on June 6.
The sixth annual Peace Walk began as a response to a string of shootings that prevented kids from being able to play outside. This year, marchers paused at the home of a young boy struck and killed while playing outside his Lyell Avenue home.
Read news coverage here and here. Learn more.
Syracuse group checks out Rochester on a play tour
The Lerner Center for Public Health Healthy Neighborhood Initiative in Syracuse traveled to Rochester May 25. Their Taking Back the Street Team is considering hosting pop up play days and activating their spaces for play.
The group toured the Story Walk at Phillis Wheatley Library and Rochester's new neighborhood of play in the inner loop area. They also saw playful sidewalks along Main Street, the play lending library at the Liberty Pole, and the Treyer Street Childrens' Garden, where they learned from members of the FLRT Block Club how they have created active play spaces for the kids in their neighborhood.
To learn more about Healthi Kids work around playability in Rochester, visit www.playrocs.org.
New York's budget includes wins for families
New York's $168.3 billion 2018-19 state budget has clear wins for children and families. These include added funding for school breakfast, farm-to-school efforts, after school programming and neighborhood services available at community schools. Our latest blog post breaks down the impact the budget could have on the region and details areas we will watch in the coming year. To read our full blog post visit here.
For details on the budget and how you can get involved, contact Advocacy Manager Jenn Beideman at jenn.beideman@commongroundhealth.org or 585.224.3151.
Take the My Health Story survey
Share your story to improve the region's health.
That's the message that county health departments and Common Ground Health are sharing with residents in Rochester and the Finger Lakes.
The survey takes about 15 to 20 minutes and is available in English at www.MyHealthStory2018.com and in Spanish at www.MiRecordatorio2018.com. Information from the survey will be used to identify health-related needs and reveal where programs and policies can make the community healthier.
Renovated rec center now open
Play partners, make time to check out the newly renovated Campbell Street R-Center, at 524 Campbell Street. It reopened June 26 after a year of construction. Crews installed a new gym, kitchen for cooking classes, fitness room, playgrounds, wheelchair accessible spray park, fields and an accessible entrance. The renovated center is now a sports magnet site that offers specialized coaching and training for basketball, football, baseball, lacrosse soccer and inclusive sports. Learn more.
Inclusion is in focus
School 29's Inclusion Team was featured on Good Day Rochester as members shared their wheelchair visibility event "Rollin with You." Healthi Kids supports inclusive physical activity at the school. Healthy schools are places where all children can participate, no matter what their abilities are. The event was part of inclusion week June 11 - 15. The team focused on three E's: Embrace, Empower and Educate.
Watch the video here. To learn more about inclusive physical activity, contact Alicia Evans, Healthy Schools Coordinator, at alicia.evans@commongroundhealth.org or 585-224-3172.
Bike seen as a tool to improve health
Biking to get around and for fun can be good for your health. Researchers have linked biking with healthy weights and healthy blood pressures and lower risks of stroke and cancer.
That's why a new report is calling for bike share stations to be located close to grocery stores, parks and other community resources to encourage active transportation.
The report from Common Ground Health and the Genesee Transportation Council calls for places with poorer health outcomes to have priority when new station sites are chosen. Pace, which operates the Rochester bike share, has already put in place some of the recommendations in the report.
School's out, but will our kids be able to play safely?
Mike Bulger, healthy communities project coordinator for Healthi Kids, was a guest on WXXI's Connections today discussing what steps we can all take to make Rochester's streets safer for kids this summer. Listen here.
School 57 hosts staff wellness event
Teachers and staff at School 57 kicked off a health and wellness focus during the month of June with a professional development on the topic. Teachers and staff rotated through different stations focused on mindfulness, restorative practices, stress management, yoga, blood pressure checks and chair massages. Teachers were encouraged to share the things they learned about self care with their students during themed weeks in June.
City seeks feedback on CAMP
Rochester needs public input to guide the future of its transportation system. It is seeking feedback for its comprehensive access and mobility plan. The plan will cover vehicles, pedestrians, transit, bicycle, and those used by people with disabilities. City officials will get feedback on the plan at PlayROCs Your Neighborhood sites on July 21 as well as the Puerto Rican Festival on July 28. For details and an online survey, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/camp.
PlayROCs volunteers needed
More than 30 sites across the city of Rochester have signed on to participate in Healthi Kids' third annual PlayROCs Your Neighborhood from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 21. The event highlights the need for safe and accessible play spaces for all children. Volunteers are needed for the event to help with social media, photography and activities. Email hannah.shippee@commongroundhealth.org to sign up.
Healthi Kids Coalition rebooted
On June 18, the new Healthi Kids Coalition met for the first time with about 30 members in attendance. The advisory group replaces several smaller Healthi Kids tables and will meet twice a year. Its 60 members include residents and organizational representatives who will also serve on smaller workgroups. A photo gallery of the meeting is here.
Funding will expand play opportunities
Congratulations to our partners Project Hope and South East Area Coalition, which received youth sports grants as part of their work championing play. Project Hope will host another round of Conkey Corner Play and will create play streets opportunities on several local streets. South East Area Coalition will paint playful sidewalks around two parks and establish play lending libraries at the parks. Details are here.
Upcoming events
Find us on social media for more Healthi Kids updates as we advocate for healthier more active kids in Rochester and Monroe County. Tell us your vision for a Playable Rochester #PlayROCs
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