Sumter County Active Lifestyles (SCAL)

Sumter County
Active Lifestyles (SCAL)
www.sumtercountyactivelifestyles.org
Spring 2011
Year-long program participants graduate
ommunity Advocacy and Leadership
Program (CALP) participants
Photo, compliments of The Item
accepted their certificates on January 15 at a graduation ceremony at the Sumter County Recreation and
Parks Department. These graduates, representing the Broad Street Community Faith Warriors, Rembert
Area Community Coalition, and the Salterstown Community Center, spent a year in training— learning
about leadership, team building, grant writing and other topics and gaining a myriad of skills. With
greater knowledge, more experience and increased proficiency, these leaders will continue to work together with their friends and neighbors as advocates for health in their neighborhoods.
As CALP graduates, these community promoters used their newly learned advocacy skills to secure resources for their respective communities. The Salterstown group is buying playground equipment
to upgrade their park. Rembert Area Community Coalition purchased playground equipment for their
community center, and the Broad Street Community Faith Warriors successfully advocated for the paving of V.I.M. Park’s walking path and the addition of a bathroom.
The University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center partnered with SCAL for this successful program. The university will continue to provide technical assistance to these communities for
the next year while several new groups begin their CALP training. Sylvia Flint, a community development specialist at the university, is already busy conducting workshops for the new CALP trainees.
Workshop topics include effective communication, community health development, media and policy
advocacy, cultural sensitivity, meeting facilitation, strategic planning and community resources and technology.
Inside This Issue:
PAGES 1-8
1) CALP
5) Sumter County Recreation & Parks
2) Greetings from the director
6) SCAL’s partners and friends invite you
3) Come celebrate
7) Changes are on the map
4) Diabetes is no sweet thing
8) Calendar of events
1
He’sfive
committed
SCALbeen
and to
helping
others
“The past
monthstohave
one
of the
busiest for us.”
Greetings from the Director
H
appy Spring, everyone! After an unusually cold and snowy winter, the arrival of
spring in all of its splendor surely is a pleasant change. The cold weather may have
put a damper on people’s activities, but not so for SCAL’s. The past five months have been one of
the busiest for us. Here are some of the highlights of our activities since October, the beginning of
SCAL’s fiscal year 2010-2011:
We wrapped up Round 1 of
the Community Advocacy and Leadership
Program (see the front
page article) and began
Round 2.
We completed phase 1 of
our new diabetes grant
project, Diabetes is No
Sweet Thing!, and are
currently in phase 2.
(See page 4 for information about this project.)
\
often remind myself of the fact that “SCAL
would not be SCAL” were it not for our great
SCAL members and community partners and our successful
partnerships with the University of South Carolina Prevention
Research Center (USCPRC) and REACH U.S.: SEA-CEED at
the Medical University of South Carolina. I truly enjoy my involvement with you in helping make Sumter County a great
place to be active and healthy!
As always, I encourage you to:
Get active! Get Healthy! Get Involved!
Linda Pekuri, MPH, RD, LD
Executive Director
We have been busily preparing for the launch of
the Sumter County On
The Move! campaign
on April 11th. (Read
more about it on page
3.)
We hosted a site visit
with project officers
from the Prevention
Research Centers
Program national
office at the Centers
for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Front row, left to right: Lili Stoisor-Olsson, USCPRC; Catherine Blumberg, SCAL; Diane Green,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Linda Pekuri, SCAL
Back row, left to right: Ericka Burroughs, USCPRC; Alicia Heim, CDC; Steve Hooker, USCPRC
2
“The school with the most walkers will receive $500...”
Come CELEBRATE— Sumter County On The Move!
O
ver the last six years, the University of
South Carolina Prevention Research
Center (USCPRC) has partnered with Sumter
County Active Lifestyles (SCAL) to implement a
community mini-grant program that has contributed to the development of six community walking
tracks and amenities.
While some residents are enjoying their
new walking facilities, recent USCPRC research has
found that the walking tracks are still not well
known in their respective communities. One of
the easiest ways that people can be active is by
walking about 30 minutes a day for five days a
week. Therefore, it is important that community
residents know that there are appealing, safe walking facilities near them.
To welcome spring, the USCPRC and
SCAL, in conjunction with our partners, are implementing an awareness campaign to highlight six
community walking tracks. Postcards have been
mailed to residents in the communities listed above. Public schools close to the community tracks will be sending event information home with their students. The school with the most walkers to participate in the campaign will receive $500 from a sponsor to purchase physical activity equipment for their schools. Billboards have
been erected in three locations: Look for them on Highway 76/378 in the Shaw Air Force Base area, at the
intersection of Broad Street and Purdy Street, and on the Highway 378 by-pass, between the Highway 401 and
Highway 76 exits. For more detailed information, visit the event website at www.SumterCountyMoves.org.
In the fall of 2011, the USCPRC will continue to promote walking with its community walking intervention. Part of a research study, the intervention will determine what factors influence adult walking. The walking
tracks will serve as a valuable resource in the intervention. Adults enrolled in the intervention will be encouraged to use the walking tracks that are located in their communities.
Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to be healthy. We hope that as Sumter County residents become more aware of their communities’ walking tracks, they will use them regularly to achieve their
physical activity goals. For more information about the awareness campaign or the walking intervention, contact
Lili Stoisor-Olsson at 803-576- 5987 or locally, Linda Pekuri at 803-774-381.
3
“Diabetes...can be prevented and controlled.”
Diabetes Is No Sweet Thing!
S
CAL is one of three community coalitions in South Carolina and North Carolina to recently receive a
one-year grant from REACH U.S. SEA-CEED (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
United States: South-Eastern African American Center of Excellence to Eliminate Disparities), based
at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing. The grant will help us expand our work to decrease disparities for African Americans at risk for and with diabetes. Our partners in the
grant project are the Rembert Area Community Coalition, Delaine-Wedgefield Community Coalition, Carolina
Diabetes and Kidney Center, and the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center.
SCAL’s project, called Diabetes is No Sweet Thing!, is a church-based diabetes awareness and education campaign for African American adults living in Rembert and Wedgefield. We chose these two particular
communities in Sumter County because of the high number of African Americans, higher poverty rate than that
of the county as a whole, and the fact that these communities are 100% rural and lack local healthcare facilities,
doctor’s offices, pharmacies and grocery stores. Besides lifestyle-related risk factors (like poor diet, physical
inactivity and obesity), minority race/ethnicity, low income and lack of access to adequate healthcare increase
the risk for diabetes. Additionally, African Americans are more likely to have poorly controlled diabetes.
“The purpose of the Diabetes is No Sweet Thing! project is to let people know that diabetes is a serious
disease—especially in the African American population— but one that can be prevented and controlled,” says
Linda Pekuri, SCAL’s executive director and diabetes project manager. “We want people to be informed about
the things that increase their diabetes risk and simple lifestyle changes they can adopt to help them prevent or
better manage diabetes.”
Rembert and Wedgefield African American residents recently participated with project staff to develop
the campaign’s educational messages so that they will be relevant to the community. With the help of Rembert
Area Community Coalition and the Delaine-Wedgefield Community Coalition, focus groups were conducted in
December and January to determine what residents already know about diabetes, how to make African American
people more aware of diabetes and how to convince them that diabetes can be prevented and controlled with a
healthy lifestyle. The focus group data were used to create the messages that will soon be printed on the campaign’s educational materials. These materials will be distributed later this year in African American churches
in those communities.
REACH U.S. SEA-CEED works with community coalitions to eliminate health disparities related to
diabetes prevention and control by reducing risks and preventing complications of diabetes in African Americans. The program’s grants to community coalitions, such as SCAL, help build the capacity within the affected
community and create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will continue to decrease health disparities and improve quality of life.
Dr. Carolyn Jenkins, College of Nursing professor and lead investigator for REACH U.S. SEA-CEED,
states, “We are so excited to expand to Sumter County and other communities in the Carolinas. Building on the
success of the previous REACH 2010, this has the potential to reach more than 1,750,000 African Americans
(approximately 300,000 with diabetes) and decrease diabetes complications related to hypertension, stroke and
amputations.”
For more information about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association
website at http://www.diabetes.org/
4
“We are simply fortunate to be housed at the Rec. Dept.”
Sumter County Recreation & Parks Offers Many Opportunities
W
hen Linda Pekuri and I tell people that our office is at the Sumter County Recreation and Parks
Department (Rec. Dept.), the first thing they want to know is, “Do you play softball?”
Our answer is, “No. We are simply fortunate to be housed at the Rec. Dept.” Since
coming to work here in 2006, we have realized that we are quite lucky. By working here, we
have learned a lot about the year-round programming for kids of all ages done by the recreation staff. Sumter
County residents have many options and opportunities to help them be physically active!
Led by Rose Ford, the Rec. Dept. consists of 32 employees. In the
summer, there are an additional 44 part-time workers who are utilized for
summer programming. These employees make it possible for Sumter
County residents to enjoy a myriad of programs and places for physical activity
and recreation.
ity
play
make
a
water and bug re-
Beginning in June, an eight-week children’s program is offered at a cost of $10
a week per child, and that includes lunch. Crystal Lakes Golf Course, Dillon Park, Cypress Park and Mill Creek Park are popular spots year round. Between those locations,
there are options for golf, softball, baseball, jogging, hiking and more. The six-mile Cypress Trail is at Cypress Park. It is a great place for hiking through mostly natural and
wooded areas. There are a picnic shelter and tables adjacent to the trail. You can
have a cookout combined with a square dance at Mill Creek Park where the activbuilding is big and rustic. It sits beside a beautiful pond surrounded by open
area and lots of natural habitat. If you haven’t visited these popular parks,
point to do so. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and take sunscreen,
pellant. When you get there, you’ll probably want to stay awhile.
The Double Dutch rope jumping contest, an
international competition, will be starting
on June 17. Sumter County Recreation
has hosted this event for nine years.
Teams come from as far away as Japan
to participate, and this rope jumping event continues to grow.
Parents and caregivers in Sumter County know that they can “sign up” their children for youth soccer,
baseball, softball, football and basketball at the Recreation Department. But, there’s more! Classes in belly
dancing, clogging and karate are offered. People play bridge and a coin club meets at the department.
Five community centers are located throughout the county, providing weekly programming for senior
citizens and children. These facilities, as well as the Sumter Civic Center, are managed by the Rec. Dept. and
can be rented for private events. Rooms at the Rec. Dept. can be rented also, including the gymnasium.
In addition to regular programming, special events are held throughout the year: kite flying in March, an
Easter egg hunt, April’s Senior Fitness Games and December’s “Walk with St. Nick” and “Breakfast with
Santa.” This year’s egg hunt, a free event, is April 23 at Swan Lake. Senior Fitness Games will be held April
26-28. There is a $25 entry fee for the fitness games that covers meals, prizes and the awards banquet.
If you want to get active, get healthy and get involved, the Rec. Dept. can help. Call 774-2248 for more
information.
by Catherine Blumberg
5
“...become a healthier, more active and connected family.”
SCAL’S partners and friends invite you to...
“HEALTHY KIDS DAY” at the Sumter Family YMCA on May 7, 10am-2pm.
Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve the health and well-being of families across the country. On this day, Y’s hold events and encourage parents to make play dates
with their kids every day as a simple way to become a healthier, more active and connected family.
By making time for active play every day, families can work together, have fun and achieve greater health
and well-being for their spirit, mind and body. Healthy Kids Day brings parents and children together to have
fun, be active and create lasting, healthy habits for the entire family.
Earth Day 2011 celebration– April 30, 9:00 am-2:00 pm
Bring out the entire family for a day of festivities and environmental education...join the
City of Sumter and representatives from local industries, businesses, schools and community organizations as we celebrate Earth Day 2011!
2011 Recovery Road Race
This inaugural Recovery Road Race begins at Heath Pavilion. The 5K route is USATF
certified and is part of the 2011 Palmetto Grand Prix. Prizes will be awarded to overall male and female winners. For more information and to register, go online to
www.strictlyrunning.com. Race route and other information can also be found online
at http://www.sumtersc.gov/visitingus/RecoveryRoadRace.aspx.
100 Men for 100 Miles
Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church was born in 1911 and,
in celebration, is sponsoring a 100-mile bike ride. From
now until June 4, the first 75 miles is to be completed.
The last 25 miles will be accomplished in a group ride on
June 11, 2011.
There will be
training rides and
discussions
about the sport of
cycling.
The next
meeting is scheduled
for April 23.
If you
are interested
and know of
other men in the Sumter metropolitan community who
would like to join in the ride, contact either: Bro. James H.
Alsoton 803 481-9030 or Br. Martin E. Rogers 803 4690177 or [email protected].
Friends and Partners! SCAL is pleased to share your event information in our newsletter. It is always welcome. Thank you!
6
These popular maps are being reprinted.
Changes are on the map
SCAL’s revised Sumter County Walk Map is in the
process of being printed. These popular maps are being reprinted to include SCAL’s newest community walking tracks.
Salterstown Park has a new track and is in the process of
adding amenities.
Ebenezer’s “Get Fit Trail” is also a new addition and is located adjacent to the Ebenezer Community Center.
You may have noticed that the “Y” Walk has been extended,
and SCAL’s new map will include these revisions.
Be sure to visit your community parks on Saturday, April 30
or May 7 at
www.SumterCountyMoves.org
Salterstown Park Walk
Ebenezer ‘Get Fit Trail’
Y Walk
7
S
C
A
L
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mission: To promote health and
quality of life in Sumter County by
advocating for a community environment that supports physically
active lifestyles for all citizens.
Bike-Walk Committee meeting, Wednesday, April 20, at noon
at Sumter County Recreation & Parks Department
A & O Committee meeting, Thursday, May 5, at noon
at Sumter County Recreation & Parks Department
SCAL General Membership meeting, Thursday, June 16, at noon
at Sumter County Recreation & Parks Department
President
O.J. Papucci
Vice President
John Howard, Sr.
Secretary
Catherine Blumberg
Treasurer
Jacquelyn Session
Member-at-Large
Leona Green
Executive Director
Linda Pekuri
Newsletter Editor
Catherine Blumberg
Additional Activities in the Sumter Area:
http://www.meetup.com/The-Sumter-Cycling-Hiking-Adventure-Club/
SCAL on Facebook
Contact Us
Linda Pekuri, (803) 774-3861, [email protected]
Catherine Blumberg, (803) 774-3860
[email protected]
FAX (803) 436-2400
www.SumterCountyActiveLifestyles.org
Sumter County Active Lifestyles
155 Haynsworth Street
Sumter, South Carolina 29150
Funding to Sumter County Active Lifestyles for this publication was made possible by Cooperative Agreement No. 5-U48-DP001936-02 from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center.