FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

YMCA conference sparks healthy change in communities nationwide

Pioneering Healthier Communities^TM Conference brings together community leaders committed to transforming environments and creating healthier communities

WASHINGTON, December 6, 2006—YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for the nation's 2,617 YMCAs, is mobilizing leaders from 13 communities across the country to respond to the public health challenge of obesity, physical inactivity and poor nutrition at its third-annual Activate America: Pioneering Healthier Communities Conference this week. Representing the government, nonprofit, health care, transportation and business sectors, these leaders traveled to Washington along with staff from their local YMCA to learn innovative strategies for making their communities healthier places to live.

"As the nation's oldest and largest community-service organization with a mission dedicated to health and wellness, the YMCA is uniquely qualified and positioned to address the chronic disease and obesity crisis that faces our country," said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO, YMCA of the USA. "But we know that no one organization or approach is going to solve the problem. That's why we have chosen to serve as conveners, bringing together high-level leaders to drive meaningful change in their communities. We feel that this strategy will magnify the impact not only of our efforts, but also the efforts of other community organizations working toward the same goals."

The Pioneering Healthier Communities project (PHC) launched in 2004. Each year since then, YMCA of the USA has selected a new group of communities to take on the task of transforming their hometowns into healthier environments. The 13 communities added this year bring the total to 48. Each community team received a $10,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its team members to travel to the nation's capital for the conference, and next fall each team will be eligible to receive a one-time grant to assist in the implementation of the activities identified by the team. Additional programmatic support for the conference was provided by Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and the PepsiCo Foundation - the National Presenting Sponsors for the conference. Pioneering Healthier Communities is part of the YMCA's Activate America initiative.

PHC is part of YMCA Activate America^TM, a national initiative that is rallying YMCAs across the country to further enhance their service and support to kids, adults and families who want to live a healthy lifestyle but struggle to do so. PHC is rooted in the principle that a multi-faceted, community-based approach that includes policy strategies is needed to create sustainable and lasting change.

"The YMCA has been a true leader, at both the national and local level, in bringing together all of the stakeholders who can have an impact on community health," said Tyler Norris, president of Community Initiatives and head coach for Pioneering Healthier Communities. "We know from experience that this community-based, team approach can make a real difference when these leaders come together and commit to making changes that impact the environment where people live, work and play. We can no longer just tell people to eat better and exercise-we have to make it easier for them to do so."

In the past, PHC teams have implemented changes, created programs and advocated for policies that remove barriers and provide opportunities for healthier living, including: reinstating physical education in schools, changing school vending and snack policies, improving city-wide trail systems and bike paths, creating local walking clubs, planting community gardens, starting farmers' markets and working with mobile food pantries.

At this year's conference, teams will hear from experts and learn about community-based approaches to health and wellness. Experts include: Tyler Norris; Mark Fenton, contributing editor of Health magazine and PBS series host; Dr. Wayne Giles, director of the Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Jeffery Levi, Ph.D., executive director, Trust for America's Health; Deborah Taylor Tate, commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; and Kate Houston, deputy administrator for special nutrition projects, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Leadership teams for the following communities are attending this year's PHC conference: Central Connecticut Coast Communities; Champaign County, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Delmarva, Md.; Elgin, Ill.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Fox Cities, Wis.; Greater Louisville, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; Mid Coast Maine; Quad Cities, Iowa and Ill.; Rahway, N.J.; and Shasta County, Calif.

Additional communities participating in PHC who are already making a difference include: the State of Arkansas; Attleboro, Mass.; Bellevue, Wash.; Boise, Idaho; Boulder, Colo.; Central Kentucky (Lexington); Greater Charlotte, N.C.; Chester County (Brandywine Valley), Pa.; Clearwater, Fla.; Dallas, Texas; Dane County (Madison), Wis.; State of Delaware; Des Moines, Iowa; Fort Worth, Texas; Greenville, S.C.; Lincoln, Neb.; Marshall, Minn.; Marshalltown, Iowa; Milwaukee, Wis.; Orange County, Calif.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Santa Clara and South San Mateo Counties, Calif.; Rapid City, S.D.; Reno, Nev.; Rochester, N.Y.; Rye, N.Y.; Shreveport, La.; Springfield/Greene County, Mo.; St. Louis, Mo.; Tampa, Fla.; Tucson, Ariz.; Tulsa, Okla.; West Michigan (Grand Rapids); and the State of West Virginia

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About the Pioneering Healthier Communities project
The Pioneering Healthier Communities project is a part of YMCA Activate America^TM, the YMCA's national mobilization effort to promote healthy living among millions of Americans. The project was developed with expert advice and assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Their input is helping to build an infrastructure for replicating model programs and approaches to develop healthy communities nationwide. In addition, the PepsiCo Foundation, Kimberly-Clark and Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund are National Presenting Sponsors. Health and wellness has been an integral part of YMCAs' charitable mission for more than 150 years. YMCA Activate America builds upon the YMCA's proud heritage of pioneering timely programs that respond to societal needs. For more information, please visit www.ymca.net/activateamerica.

The YMCA: A Long-Standing Commitment to Health of Spirit, Mind and Body
With YMCAs serving more than 10,000 communities and neighborhoods, no institution is better positioned to act as a unifying force in this effort than YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for 2,617 YMCAs. Offering a broad range of programs including youth leadership and volunteerism, YMCAs are collectively the nation's largest providers of child care, after-school and youth sports programs and are working to incorporate physical activity into all aspects of youth, family and community programming. Visit www.ymca.net for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Kelly Kennai
YMCA of the USA
kelly.kennai@ymca.net