Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Initiative
From 2009-2013 the Crim Fitness Foundation, in partnership with the Michigan Fitness Foundation,participated as one of 49 grantees in the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities(HKHC) program, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to advance community-based solutions that help reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. The HKHC program focused on changing policies and environments to support active living and healthy eating among children and families. Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities is one of RWJF’s largest and most ambitious community-action programs ever supported by the Foundation and a cornerstone of RWJF’s $500 commitment to reverse the country’s childhood obesity epidemic by 2015. Flint’s HKHC Initiative, known as Where Do Flint’s Children Play?, worked directly with residents, grassroots organizations, and local government to implement capacity-building, policy, and environmental change approaches torevitalize Flint parks.
Key Accomplishments of the Flint HKHC Initiative:
- Worked with the city and local stakeholders to update the five-year parks and recreation master plan
- Conducted a Parks Policy Review Report that provided recommended policy changes
- Catalyzed community voice for a strong parks component to be included in the 2013 City Master Plan
- Cultivated “Friends of Max Brandon Park,” a sustainable group of park advocates caring and planning for Max Brandon Park
- Facilitated community engagement and parks discussions to provide opportunities for Flint residents to be civically engaged around parks
- Leveraged an additional $422,823 in cash and in-kind resources to match the initial $360,000 investment from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Physical Improvements in focus parks Max Brandon Park and Brennan Park:
- $11,000 for a tree removal project
- $5,000 for tree trimming in the park
- $12,500 environmental sustainability project
- $1,500 playground maintenance grant
- $15,000 to restore park pavilion
- $15,000 to restore a baseball field
- New park picnic tables and benches
