BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Working toward the goal of making Blue Springs a healthier community, StandUp Blue Springs invites citizens to the second Let’s Move! Citizen Summit on Saturday, July 9, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Freshman Center, 2103 NW Vesper Street, Blue Springs, MO. The Summit is open to the public to help set the community agenda to promote healthier lifestyles through physical activity, healthy eating, and new programs or amenities.
Those in attendance will prioritize more than 150 ideas generated in the first Citizen Summit on June 18. It is anticipated at least 10 ideas will be carried forward for planning and implementation. As ideas are implemented, additional ideas from the list and new ideas will be addressed by the citizen workgroups.
“I often speak about civic engagement and this Let’s Move! Citizen Summit is your chance to get involved and make a difference for the next generation,” said Mayor Carson Ross. “This is a community-wide effort and we need your help choosing projects to help us solve the problem of childhood obesity in Blue Springs.”
StandUp Blue Springs is facilitating these Summits, in conjunction with the City of Blue Springs and more than 10 other local community partners. Blue Springs builds upon the national Let’s Move! initiative with a local focus on building generations of healthy citizens.
“The energy we have experienced throughout the Summit process has been absolutely amazing. We know these planning and implementation teams will stop at nothing to help make Blue Springs the healthiest possible community,” said Dave Wright, Board President of StandUp Blue Springs.
Blue Springs was officially designated as a Let’s Move! Community in March 2011 and has taken an innovative approach to engage all citizens through its “summit process.” The nationwide Let’s Move! initiative was created by First Lady Michelle Obama and the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a national effort to raise a healthier generation of children. This initiative is a comprehensive approach to engage the many sectors that reach children, including parents, families, schools, community leaders, municipalities and businesses. The Let’s Move! goals are based on four pillars: 1) make healthy family choices, 2) create healthy schools, 3) provide access to healthy, affordable food; and 4) promote physical activity.
The summit is free and open to the public and we encourage all interested to attend and help us shape our plan. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend and do not need to register in advance. For information or if you want to register in advance, call StandUp Blue Springs at (816) 478-4500 or visit www.StandUpBlueSprings.org/events. To access the new community calendar to view free and low-cost activities that supports the Let’s Move! Blue Springs initiative, visit www.BlueSpringsGov.com/LetsMove.
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