The Ferguson Group Blog

Did you "Get Wild" this month?

July is National Park and Recreation Month, so our friends at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) have been encouraging park-goers this month throughout America to “GET WILD” about their local parks and recreational places. Each year NRPA sends out notifications in advance about all of the fun and family-friendly activities they have planned for the celebration of National Park and Recreation Month. To see these events and to learn more about NRPA visit the website here. If you missed out on this year’s festivities, add a reminder in your calendar to register your park and recreation agency for next year. If you were able to “GET WILD” I would love to hear all about it. Please comment below or reach me at  [email protected].

Inspiring Our Communities to Get Moving

The Olympic games  are just around the corner and I know that the children in my life are inspired to get moving.  We’ve talked in our home about great young members of our US team like Olympic swim team member and youngest US Olympian Katie Ledecky, age 15, who hails from our community.

Even if your hometown is not sending athletes to London next week, all communities can provide inspiration and opportunities for our youngest residents, as First Lady Michelle Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday.

If you missed the announcement, see Secretary Sebelius’  five goals for local officials to achieve within the next year to address obesity and help communities be healthier.

Goal: Start Early, Start Smart: To provide children with a healthier start, local elected officials commit to helping early care and education program providers incorporate best practices for nutrition, physical activity and screen time into their programs.

Goal: My Plate, My Place: To empower parents and caregivers, local elected officials commit to prominently displaying My Plate in all municipal or county venues where food is served.

Goal: Smart Serving for Students: To provide healthy food in schools, local elected officials commit to increasing participation in the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program.

Goal: Model Food Service: To improve access to healthy, affordable foods, local elected officials commit to implementing healthy and sustainable food service guidelines that are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in all municipal and county venues that serve food.

Goal: Active Kids at Play: To increase physical activity, local elected officials commit to mapping local playspaces, completing a needs assessment, developing an action plan and launching a minimum of three proven policies, programs or initiatives aimed at increasing access to play.

To help elected officials achieve their goals, subject matter experts from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture have collaborated to build technical assistance and information for elected officials on the new website which launches today.

Is your community already at work to achieve these goals?  If so, please share your activities by posting a comment.