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A big High Five, Bonners Ferry! |
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October 24, 2016 |
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For the next three years, beginning in 2017,
Boundary County youth are going to discover new
ways to eat better and stay more active, fit and
healthy, thanks to a High Five Community
Transformation Grant awarded Bonners Ferry by
the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation For Health.
In all, 18 Idaho cities made applications, seven
were selected in the semi-final round and three;
Rexburg, Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, were
selected as this year's winners.
"We're really pleased to have received this
grant, and thrilled with all the support we
recieved," said Bonners Ferry Mayor David Sims,
who, in a video made as part of the grant
application, spoke of a number of ways the grant
would have a lasting and positive impact on the
health of children in Bonners Ferry, including
helping to expand 4-H and extension education
programs to help kids make good food and
nutrition choices, help fund the high school
vo-ag greenhouse and upgrade the 80-year-old
municipal pool.
The grant covers a three-year period (2017-2019)
and will be used to support projects aimed at
improving the health of youth in the areas of
physical activity and access to healthy,
affordable foods. Precisely how and where the
money will be spent will be determined through a
collaborative process between community leaders
and the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for
Health.
The Community Transformation Grant is intended
to engage communities across Idaho to organize
collaboration among multiple sectors –
education, healthcare, non-profits, government,
business and philanthropy – to focus on the
reduction and/or prevention of childhood
obesity.
And winning the grant is just the first in a
series of steps that can now move forward,
beginning with a community assessment to
determine the specific needs and challenges we
face here at the northern tip of Idaho as well
as the strengths and assets we already have in
placeto serve as a springboard, a solid
foundation on which to build. It will be self
sustaining, the locus for collaborations and
partnerships that will not only see the dreams
and visions we now have brought to fruition, but
ensure that the gains made will be sustainable,
lasting long after the grant monies have been
invested.
"I would add that the city is thrilled for the
chance to see what kinds of opportunities will
come from the High Five grant," said Bonners
Ferry City Planner Lisa Ailport, who worked
tirelessly on the grant application and will
play a key role in its development now that the
grant has been won. "The grant is administered
over a three year period, with this period
starting in 2017 and completing in 2019. In the
first six months, the High Five group will be
completing a community assessment as part of
their technical assistance portion of the grant.
After this assessment has been completed, the
city, working with community partners, will be
identifying future projects that align with the
foundation goals. The grant amount is up to
$250,000, and while $250,000 seems like a lot of
money, leveraging these dollars with other
funding opportunities may lead to bigger
successes across the community. The city,
working with our community partners and Blue
Cross of Idaho Foundation will, as the name
entails, look to transform our community!"
“The Foundation believes that health doesn’t
happen in a doctor’s office, it starts in
communities,” said Kendra Witt-Doyle, Executive
Director of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation
for Health. “The power of the Community
Transformation Grant is that it supports the
development of healthier environments for youth
by bringing together community leaders to
co-generate strategies to make a lasting
impact.” |
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