The promotion of healthier lifestyles in the community isn’t going unnoticed by the state.
Representatives from Grow Carter County, a coalition of community members wanting to help increase the health options in the county, learned this month they would receive $5,000 from the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness as work continues to become a Healthier Tennessee Community.
“This is a milestone for the group,” Josh McKinney, Grow Carter County chair, said Thursday. “We’re still in the designation process, but this is a step in the right direction.”
To celebrate the grant, Grow Carter County will host a community-wide event Monday, Sept. 18, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library, where the check presentation will be made. During the event, individuals will learn more about the group, what a Healthier Tennessee Community can mean for Carter County and how the funds will be used in the future. Food will be provided by Bob’s Dairyland of Roan Mountain.
Grow Carter County received the grant after meeting the requirements by the Foundation, which included initiating and sustaining community-wide events and distributing information to workplaces, schools and faith organizations on how to stay healthy.
McKinney commended the efforts of each member involved and stated that Allison Foster and Caroline Hurt have been instrumental in helping the process moving along smoothly.
“This was a grassroots effort with different people coming together who want to see Carter County grow as a healthier community,” McKinney said.
With work by various organizations, the school districts have also been busy by promoting GoNoodle to students, which promotes activity within the student body.
Hurt, director of the Carter County/Elizabethton Health Department, stated that a Healthier Tennessee Community designation could mean a lot for residents.
“The initiative is designed to get our communities moving more, eating better and in the right proportions, and living a life of tobacco products,” Hurt said. “That was right along with our lines of what we want to accomplish. Grow Carter County is a result of the Healthier Tennessee Communities and made up of several different partners.”
Hurt added the group is working with the local farmers’ market, walking clubs with schools and looking to highlight the different walking and public access trails in the county.
The Foundation launched Healthier Tennessee Communities in 2015 with nine pilot communities. 15 communities have already received the official designated with over 60, including Carter County, vying for designation.
McKinney added there’s still time for community members to get involved. Grow Carter County meets the second Wednesday of each month either at the United Way office in South Hills or Medical Care. This month, the organization is meeting at United Way, and McKinney said the public is invited to attend.
For more information about the mission of Grow Carter County, visit the group’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.