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How can my community become a Fitness City?

That is the question each park and recreation director should ask him/herself. I asked myself that question after attending a fitness conference in Indianapolis in 1980.

The conference was hosted by the National Recreation and Park Association and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. The audience was comprised of health professionals, recreational personnel, and physical educators at the academic level. At the close of the conference, I was confident that Geneseo, Illinois, had the potential to become a Fitness City.

I reported my findings to the Park District Board. Robert Cherry, board president, instructed me to devise a Fitness Master Plan for the community. Cherry had a great deal of experience with sports and fitness, having served as both director and chairman of the board of the National Sporting Goods Association in 1982 and '83. He knew about the health and fitness movement, and he wanted our community to position itself as a front-runner.

I proceeded to develop the following master plan, which was comprised of five basic steps.

The first step was to compile a list of all related fitness and wellness programs our agency currently offered.

Next came investigating our agency's ability to incorporate health and fitness into direct services (i.e., Was our mission statement for the department, city, and agency, related to fitness principles and the health and well-being of the community, being served?)

The third step involved documenting our agency's support, collaboration, or facilitation with other community resources for the promotion of health and fitness (i.e., What was our agency's philosophy in partnerships within the community?)

Step four was observing our agency's performance as a community catalyst or facilitator for educating the public about community efforts and coalitions.

The final step was considering what means our agency had taken to network and outreach with others in our community (i.e., uniqueness of public information and how we established our partners in this process).

After developing these five steps, the plan was implemented by constructing year-round facilities, partnerships, and networking.

In 1983 the community recreation center was built; two years later an indoor aquatics facility was added. From that, we were able to offer year-round recreational programming. That piqued everyone's interest in health and fitness and the benefits of physical fitness.

We partnered with senior citizens who were working to develop their own center. We also convinced the nonprofit daycare/preschool facility to partner with us and operate under our roof. The daycare accommodates 200 children, all of whom are able to utilize the center's programs and facilities. The hospital was going to construct a new wing for health-related rehabilitation purposes but instead partnered with us, gaining accessibility to our indoor pool.

Finally, communicating messages regarding healthy lifestyles through a network of media outlets was a priority for the Geneseo Community Park District. The district provided messages to inform, educate, and build awareness regarding the benefits of healthy recreation.

Building a Fitness City takes time, determination, and dedication, but anything can happen with the right mixture of people and programs. Begin today to determine if your community can, indeed, become a Fitness City.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:49 AM