Let’s Go! Coordinators create connections across their communities.
In 2020, Let’s Go! Coordinators worked with over 1,450 enrolled sites across their communities by partnering with site champions— the individuals who volunteer to be an advocate for healthy eating and active living at each site— to create healthier environments for children and youth. Coordinators foster effective relationships to provide professional development and support to site champions about healthy eating and active living within the context of the Let’s Go! Program. Coordinators can help sites seek grant funding to support healthy habits, leverage local relationships and resources to benefit sites’ healthy eating and active living goals, and support local policy change.
Coordinators are the local face of Let’s Go! in the community.
When the true significance of the COVID-19 pandemic came to light in early March 2020, Let’s Go! Coordinators quickly adjusted to ensure that they could provide support for enrolled sites in their local communities. This response included strategic communication and resource sharing to support community sites in socially distant physical activity opportunities, about the importance of staff wellness, and the promotion of healthy habits at home. Coordinators connected with their site champions to identify training needs and increased their use of technology to continue providing technical support. Let’s Go! Coordinators also exhibited creativity when hosting Zoom meetings and virtual trainings for their sites to help facilitate connection during this time of uncertainty.
Finding Solace in Nature Amidst a Pandemic
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, families found themselves living drastically different lifestyles. Children went from being at school with peers, to isolation in their homes. Some Let’s Go! Coordinators found ways to engage community partners to create fun, safe, outdoor physical activity by setting up community StoryWalks®.
Let’s Go! York County partnered with Wells Reserve at Laudholm to install a StoryWalk® along one of the popular trails. Wells Reserve put forth precautions to monitor, evaluate, and adapt as needed to ensure programs operated safely and effectively. To keep visitors engaged, the StoryWalk® was changed periodically.
While many of our regularly scheduled spring programs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our seven miles of trails remained open. [These] StoryWalks® provided a wonderful new addition to visitors’ trail experiences. What a gift!”
—Suzanne Kahn, Education Director, Wells Reserve at Laudholm
In Franklin County, Coordinators partnered with the Farmington Recreation Department to set up a StoryWalk® at Hippach Field. The StoryWalk® was promoted on social media throughout the community. This community space allowed families plenty of room to practice social distancing and participate on their own schedule.
By partnering with community programs, Coordinators have helped create opportunities for families to enjoy physical activity, listen to the sights and sounds of various birds and species, breathe fresh air, and find solace during this challenging time.
“I liked it [the StoryWalk®] because you didn’t have to turn the page! I just ran to it!”
—Tate, age 5