Allen Countians put their best foot forward this week to promote a “Culture of Health.”
Teams of locals from across the county, from Iola to Elsmore, Humboldt to Moran, greeted representatives Thursday and Friday from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a countywide tour.
The RWJF site visit was the result of Allen County being chosen as one of 11 finalists for the fifth annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health prize.
The award honors communities across the country that are making strides in their journey toward better health.
Thursday’s tour of the county illustrated the new and sometimes unconventional partnerships that have developed in recent years to make Allen County a healthier community.
Stops along the way included visits to the G&W Foods building site and Elm Creek Community Garden, in Iola; Fees Park in Gas; the LaHarpe City Park’s new playground area and the Regional Rural Tech Center; and 54 Fitness in Moran.
Stops at Stub’s Market in Moran, the Elsmore Community Garden, Allen County Regional Hospital Clinic, and a stop on the Humboldt square followed.
From there, members took a leisurely bike ride along the Lehigh Portland Trail south of Iola before capping the day at the Allen County Farmers’ Market.
The team traveled to and fro aboard “MARV,” USD 257’s Meals and Reading Vehicle — a retrofitted school bus — that will be utilized once again for the school district’s summer meals program.
Up to 10 winners will be announced from the 11 finalists, each of which would receive $25,000.
More importantly, the winners will be given greater access to a vast network of other groups affiliated with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Culture of Health Prize is sponsored as a collaborative effort between RWJF, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Rand Corporation.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, named after one of the founders of Johnson & Johnson, is the largest philanthropic organization in the United States.
Winners will be announced in the fall.
The other ten finalists include, Algoma, Wis., Bernalillo County, N.M., Chelsea, Mass., Garrett County, Md., Ingham County, Mich., Nogales, Ariz.,, Richmond, Va., Seneca Nation of Indians, N.Y., and Vicksburg, Miss.
Allen Countians promote ‘Culture of Health’
