Growing Healthy Communities Summit Scheduled

By Staff, 01/23/17 3:48 PM

HOPE – A ‘Growing Healthy Communities Summit’ has been scheduled for January 31st, from 9:00am to 7:00pm at Hempstead Hall.

The day-long summit will be divided into four tracks:

Track 1 – Farmers Market Vendor Training, for vendors and volunteers to learn how to sell and be successful at market. Topics include basics of selling at market, planning and planting, key marketing practices, growing for profit and regulations you must know.

Track 2 – School and Community Gardens, for school and community champions. Topics include innovative school programs and curriculum standards, starting a community garden, addressing community food waste and utilizing available resources.

Track 3 – Built Environment, for policy makers and community activists. How to initiate new built-environment policies for a more livable and vibrant community and vibrant economy, incorporating walking trails, bike paths/lanes, sidewalks and recreation areas.

Track 4 – Worksite Wellness is for employers to learn the benefits of implementing and sustaining an employee wellness program. Topics for discussion will be leveraging existing policies and benefits, establishing baselines and measuring progress, as well as “take home” the tools to get started now.

The Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP) will have funding opportunities ONLY for communities represented at this event. There are funding opportunities for farmer’s markets who want to participate in Double Up Food Bucks at their markets, community and school garden seed funds, community stakeholder engagement events for complete streets campaigns and worksite wellness policy, system and environment changes.

This event is free and includes lunch. You must register by January 27th, by calling Cindy at 870-784-1944.