The Wellness Connection: For a Healthy Lake Sunapee Region is pleased to announce the recipients of grants from its second round of giving through the Community Wellness Mini-Grant program. Launched in early 2015 by New London Hospital, the program invites area nonprofit organizations and municipal/school groups to apply for grant funding to advance healthy eating or active living in the Lake Sunapee Region.
Four community organizations were selected from a competitive pool of applicants for funding of their programs: Andover Elementary/Middle School, Kearsarge Council on Aging, Colby-Sawyer College’s Windy Hill Laboratory School, and Newbury Public Library.
Andover Elementary/Middle School works hard to promote walking and biking to school among its students. Situated right on the bike path, the school hosts regular bike-to-school days to promote active living among students and families. The school will be using Wellness Connection dollars to buy much-needed bike racks that will be available to students, staff and visitors. And they plan to expand bike-to-school programming to increase physical activity among students.
The Kearsarge Council on Aging Senior Nutrition program is an expansion of a pilot project begun last year that provides monthly lunches and social programming to seniors. Free healthy lunches will be provided for seniors in low-income housing in both Newbury and New London, as well as seniors in Sunapee. In addition to providing delicious, warm and nutritious meals, COA is committed to addressing social isolation, a risk factor common among senior populations.
The Windy Hill Laboratory School at Colby-Sawyer College is undertaking a comprehensive nutrition education program for children ages 1–5 and their parents. This program focuses on securing healthy, local and seasonal foods to create fun and nutritious recipes for the children. Not only is the college engaging its students in the process (assignments for several college classes will include developing age-appropriate healthy menus and snacks) but the school also plans to post all materials and progress on their website so that other centers can adopt similar models in the future.
Finally, Newbury Public Library sought grant funding due to a strong desire to expand their mission to include the promotion of health and wellness. While they have long hosted a variety of after-school programs, none have specifically encouraged active living. Grant funds have been used to buy a variety of giant games that are being incorporated into weekly programming. These games are also available free of charge for individuals and local recreation departments to check out. They are already proving very popular with the children.