I had the great fortune last week to attend YMCA of Santa Clara Valley’s second annual Activate America Awards of Excellence. Sitting with 300 others from around the South Bay Area at the Marriott Hotel at Great America, I was very pleased to see South County leaders receive some unique and well-deserved recognition for the efforts taken by our hard working local folks to address the health issues in a variety of ways.
Activate America is a national YMCA initiative that looks to address the national health crisis. Some doubt there is even a crisis. Considering the impact of media on our lifestyles, rates of Type II diabetes and obesity among children, and other indicators, there certainly is. Therefore, the Y recognizes collaborative and innovative approaches in a variety of community sectors to increase physical activity, healthy eating and increasing access to health education and health services, and changing the culture and behavior of children and adults to live healthier lives. With intervention services to alleviate damage done by bad habits so expensive, communities are starting to pay more attention to less expensive and easier-to-implement environmental prevention.
Gilroy’s Cindy McCown accepted the award for Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides staples to St. Joseph Family Center’s pantry, but also has worked to help bring fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income families across the valley.
The City of Morgan Hill was recognized for its recent investments in facilities that encourage recreation and physical activity. They’ve built the Aquatics Center, the Centennial Recreation Center, the Dog Park, and recently re-tooled the soccer fields into a multi-sports complex. While it has yet to figure out how to increase access to these facilities for low-income residents, having them in the community at all is a great start. Having such facilities demonstrates the city wants to provide more opportunities for healthy recreation for all ages.
The Lopez family, which owns Arteaga’s Super Save Food Center, was honored for their efforts. They are the first – and so far the only – business to be awarded. They were awarded for their emphasis on helping their patrons improve their health. Not only have they sponsored health fairs at their store, they have created an environment inside the store that showcases healthy and fresh fruits and vegetables while they have posters everywhere that encourage healthy eating. Another huge plus? It’s affordable. Studies have long shown that stores that cater to patrons who are mostly minority and/or low-income actually charge more, especially for fresh fruits and vegetables. Instead, the Lopez family provides easy access by how prominently they place and display the fresh healthy food and how they price it. ¡Viva Arteagas!
Last but not least, the Y awarded the South County Collaborative’s Health and Nutrition Committee, headed by Public Health’s Lillian Castillo and Saint Louise’s Sr. Rachela Silvestri. This is a well-deserved recognition. These tireless women are EVERYWHERE that has to do with health and wellness. In addition to assisting Gilroy Unified School District with the completion of its federally mandated Wellness Policy long before the deadline, they have been instrumental in the Collaborative’s increasingly successful Community Health Days. They’ve brought key workshops and activities for the county’s Bi-National Health Week and during other times of the year to South County venues, no small feat. They’ve gone into key communities, such as Los Arroyos, Monticello and Jasmine Square to work with families and children on incorporating sound nutrition education and practices in all facets of their community life, from creating safe walking maps, to increasing physical activity in after-school programs, to teaching families how to convert lard-laden dishes to heart-healthy versions.
They’ve increased education and awareness of health issues in the community. By laying this foundation, they’ve helped attract more resources to help in the fight against obesity and diabetes. The CDC recently awarded the YMCA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded Mexican American Community Services Agency major grants to implement health-centered activities in Gilroy. This doesn’t happen without supportive practices and people who will help such programs to flourish.
What’s notable about this is that they are changing environments and attitudes. I was struck by their example that we as residents don’t have to sit back and simply accept that the community (e.g. the city and school policies and practices that don’t facilitate healthy living) is just the way it is and we have to learn to live with it and try to be healthy despite the barriers. These folks are working to create a healthy South County and they deserve hearty and vigorous thanks.
