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CanDo wants to help you have healthy choices wherever you live, work, learn, play, and pray. That’s why we’re supporting local community health initiatives in places such as community gardens, recreation centers, and faith-based communities. 

Our Community, Our Health

While many factors impact health, research shows that the physical environments in which we live, work, and raise our families deeply influence our personal decisions related to health. Simply put, we are more likely to make healthy decisions more often when our environments support it. Find out how your neighborhood measures up:

Walkability Checklist, Spanish

Bikeability Checklist, Spanish 

Growing Community…With Community Gardens

There’s something magical about community gardening….connecting with your local piece of earth, planting and nurturing seeds to fruition, enjoying the delicious harvest, and connecting with community members.

Nourishing Children Through Nature

HPEC Garden - Loveland In 2009, the High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC) in Loveland launched Nourishing Children through Nature, a program encouraging children to develop a sense of connection and curiosity about nature through hands on activities. The initiative includes a Wild Zone, a new type of open space that allows children to play in their natural environment using a child-like sense of creativity while also getting a bit of mud on their shoes. HPEC has also developed a 1.2 acre community garden that provides hands-on education on how food grows, where food comes from, and the importance of a healthy diet. The produce harvested is donated to the Loveland Food Bank and House of Neighborly Services.

For more information or to get involved, contact Garth Bontrager of the High Plains Environmental Center at gardener@suburbitat.org or (970)622-9676.

Garden of Eatin’

Garden of Eatin' - Sept 2008The Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins have taken on a new initiative to help provide fresh produce to the Food Bank for Larimer County. A new ¾ garden called the Garden of Eatin’ is currently being developed and will include fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables, along with a demonstration kitchen that will be used for community classes. 

For more information or to get involved, contact Mary Miller at mmiller@fcgov.com or (970)416-2495.

Coachlight Plaza Community Garden/Neighbor to Neighbor

In 2008, residents of the Coachlight Plaza Community, along with assistance from Neighbor to Neighbor worked hard to convert an empty plot into a bountiful garden with fresh herbs and vegetables for families to enjoy.

Coachlight - Before

Before

Coachlight - After

After

 

If you are interested in getting involved with community gardens, please contact Sarah Morales at (970)495-7512 or slm12@pvhs.org. Also check out the gardening links below:

Vida Sana

Vida Sana is a wellness and community awareness program designed by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment (LCDHE) in 2008 to address health disparities in the Latino/Hispanic community in Fort Collins. With funding from Colorado Department of Health’s Office of Health Disparities (OHD), LCDHE created a coalition of over 200 community members who worked together to identify the risk factors among the Latino/Hispanic community that were contributing to these health disparities and create a community based solution. Overwhelmingly, the coalition agreed that lack of physical activity was a significant risk factor. The Vida Sana coalition also identified key barriers that were preventing the Latino/Hispanic community from participating in physical activity including lack of child care, a lack of culturally and linguistically-appropriate programs and unaffordable fees at nearby fitness centers. As a result, LCDHE used second year funding from OHD to create a physical activity program at the Northside Aztlan Community Center (NACC) that removed these barriers. With the grant funding, the Vida Sana program allowed Latino/Hispanic community members to access the amenities at NACC including a walking program, healthy cooking classes and bi-weekly Zumba and yoga classes at no cost. Free children’s programs were also offered during the yoga and Zumba classes. Since October 2009, over 2,000 individuals have participated in a Vida Sana program at NACC.

Today, Vida Sana is no longer funded by OHD, but its programs are being maintained through small participant fees, grants from Poudre Valley Health System Foundation and CanDo and the efforts of practicum and intern students from Colorado State University.

Zumba

  • Mondays: 9-10 a.m.
  • Wednesdays: 6:15 – 7:15 p.m.
  • Thursdays: 6:15-7:15 p.m.
  • Sundays: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

All classes are $2 ($1 if you qualify for the our Reduced Fee program – applications are available at NACC). Free child care is offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday during Zumba. These classes are open to the public - anyone can participate.

The walking program is free to participate in. Participants are given a chart, pedometer and weekly healthy recipes of traditional favorites. Participants are encouraged to walk outside and track their miles. But if participants want to use the indoor track at Northside to walk, the cost is $1/visit. Currently participants in the walking program are “walking to the Grand Canyon” – charting their miles to see how long it takes to get to Denver, into Arizona etc. For more information or to sign up for the program, participants can email thewalkingprogram@gmail.com.

Health Data

Review the resources below for health statistics in Larimer County and the state.

Resources

CanDo spotlight!

View “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Doug Johnson, an MPH student who worked with CanDo this summer on our Built Environment initiative.