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Healthy
City
Fall
River
Update - April 22, 2011
Click
here for a
pdf copy of the
Spring 2011 CONNECTION Newsletter
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The University of
Massachusetts-Dartmouth brought over two hundred
community
leaders, faculty, and students together on April 14, 2011, at the
Woodland Commons to strengthen the social fabric of Southcoast
communities. Organized by
the
Center for Civic Engagement at UMD, the summit included a keynote address by
Alan Khazei,
Founder and CEO of Be the
Change, Inc. Following a panel discussion and lunch, ten groups
gathered to discuss a range of topics including Arts and Engagement,
College Access, Cities
of Service, Green Citizenship, Literacy and Engagement, Qualities of
Good Partnerships, and Service-learning
(K-6), Social Capital, Volunteer generation and retention, and Youth
Leadership and City Year. Click
here for the Herald News article. Click here for
a one-hour 
video of the event and here
for more photos and text.
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Mayor
William Flanagan hosted a Mayoral Roundtable Discussion
on Homeless Services in the City on April 19, 2011 to discuss the system
of medical and human services in place to assist homeless persons
and persons at risk for homelessness. Convened by Neighborhood
Outreach Coordinator Perry Long, the meeting brought together
representatives of the First
Step Inn, the HealthFirst
Family Care Center, the Mayor's
Task Force to End Homelessness, the Community
Development Agency, the Community
Resilience and Recovery Initiative (CRRI) and Stanley
Street Treatment and Resources. The discussion helped to clarify
the system that is currently in place and elicited ideas for
improvement. Among a number of ideas expressed was the potential for
expanding the Homeless Connect project to provide more opportunities
for homeless individuals and families to access services in a
"one stop shopping" setting. Click
here for more photos and text.
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Project leader Pat Bebo of the University of Massachusetts Extension Nutrition Education Program
led an interactive session with representatives of local health and human
service agencies in Fall River and New Bedford on April 12, 2011 in the
classroom at Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR). The purpose
of the session was to help participants think more critically about the
purpose of serving food at agency events for both children and adults.
"We tend to think of food separately from the performance of the
meeting," states Bebo who made a number of suggestions about how to
"change the paradigm" by using these events to introduce people
to more nutritious foods rather than serving what's simply expected. Click
here for a complete
video of the hour-long meeting and here
for more photos and text describing the meeting.
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The Trustees of Reservations Education Coordinator Linton Harrington
led a
group on a heart-healthy walk on April 16, 2011 through the
Copicut Woods to one of the few remaining stands of cedar trees to
plant a dozen new trees. Prized for its lightweight,
decay-resistant wood, the Atlantic White Cedar
(Chamaecyparis thyoides) was once a common tree in our
region but is now quite rare. Because fires are not permitted in
the area, few areas receive the sunlight needed to start new saplings.
Foresters have cleared an area of red maple trees to give newly-planted
trees a chance to grow into mature cedar trees. Click
here for the
video of the event. Click
here for photos of a 2005 Cedar Swamp Walk. Copicut Woods is part of the Southeastern
Massachusetts Bioreserve, an area of preserved forest large enough to
sustain the native biodiversity of this region. Click
here for more photos.
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A
small group o Fall
River Fitness Challenge participants gathered on Saturday morning,
April 17th For the eighth Challenge event of the 2011 series. Participants
left from Community Development Recreation
(CD-REC) headquarters on Bank Street and then headed down to Battleship
Cove. From there, the group walked and ran to Bicentennial Park, headed up
the Seven Hills to Highland Avenue and then down Rock Street before returning to CD-REC by
Bedford Street. Sponsored by the
Diabetes Association, Inc.
(DAI), CD-REC,
the
Fall River YMCA, General
Fitness and Healthy City Fall
River, and supported by grants from the United
Way of Greater Fall River and Partners
for a Healthier Community, the Challenge offers low cost opportunities
to get fit. Click
here for the
video of the event and here
for more photos and text.
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YEAH! (Youth Experiencing Artistic
Hope), which originated out of the Mission-Vision
Committee of the
B.O.L.D.
(Building Our Lives Drug-free) Coalition, received a grant from the Local
Cultural Council Program of the Massachusetts
Cultural Council to sponsor art classes for students of the Resiliency
Preparatory School. The grant pays local artists to work with students
several hours a day to inspire and teach them a variety of artistic
techniques. "These kids really get into it,' stated Vania Noverca-Viveiros,
a local artist connected with the Fall River Art Association. Click
here for a one-minute
video of
the class. YEAH! has sponsored a number of other projects, including a
Found Art project, a 2009 Launch
Party, and a breakfast
fundraiser held at the Eagle Performing Arts Center. Click
here for more photos of the art class.
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The
Copicut Neighborhood Association, the newest
neighborhood association, representing the area of the Copicut
Reservoir and the reservation, met for the second time at the home
of Linda Buchanan and Kendrick Dias on Copicut Road. Those in attendance
included Mayor
William Flanagan, Police Chief Daniel Racine, Building Inspector
Joseph Biszko, Director of Community Maintenance Kenneth Pacheco, Water
Department director John Friar, city forester Michael Labossierre,
neighborhood coordinator Perry Long and city administrator Sean Cadime.
Neighborhood Association president and Copicut Road resident Sara
Riley, presided over the meeting. Open
access to the reservoir for passive recreation, fixing potholes, and
the condition of nearby dirt roads fueled discussion on the idea of gating
portions of some of those isolated problem roads by Mr. Friar. Click
here for the
video of
the meeting and here
for more photos.
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Mayor
Will Flanagan and
Fall River City
Councilors Ray Mitchell and Eric Poulin announced an initiative to
crack down on litter and enhance the Fall
River Police Department's enforcement of litter laws at a press
conference in the Fall River Government Center lobby on April 11, 2011.
The announcement was in response to numerous complaints of littering
throughout the city, including complaints
of trash dumping in the Copicut Woods section of the City. The Mayor
proposed that fines for littering be increased from $100 to $300 per
violation, the maximum allowed under current state law for non-criminal
penalties. Click
here for the
video of
the announcement and here
for more photos and text.
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Mayor
Will Flanagan announced April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and
Child Abuse Prevention Month in a news conference at Government Center
on April 11, 2011. The Proclamation called for people to weal teal
ribbon pins throughout the month and to participate in "Wear Denim
Day" on April 27th to continue awareness throughout the month. It
was reported that in Bristol County 800 to 1,000 cases of sexual abuse
are reported annually. These numbers continue to go up even as the
national numbers are declining. The Women's Center, United Neighbors
of Fall River, the Bristol
County Child Advocacy Center and the Bristol
County District Attorney’s office are working together to increase
public awareness of the issue and to improve local resources designed to
reduce the problem.
Click
here for the Herald News article. Click
here for more photos and text describing the event.
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The
junior class of B.M.C.
Durfee High School participated in the second annual Fall River
Credit for Life Fair on April 7, 2011 in the school gymnasium. The
three-hour event provided students with a highly interactive financial
literacy experience, placing them in the position of 25-year-old adults in
charge of making their own purchase and daily living decisions. The
fair makes students aware of adult daily expenses, including housing,
insurance, transportation and saving for retirement. B.M.C. Durfee
guidance director Aimee Bronhard and Citizens-Union
Savings Bank V-P of Marketing Monica
Curhan organized the morning activity. The event is made possible
by numerous volunteers from the community, as well as many sponsors. Click
here for a
video of the event and here
for more photos.
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Mayor
Will Flanagan announced a series of improvements to the City's parks
on a windy April 6, 2011 afternoon in the Jose Silva Memorial Park on
Locust Street. The
park, at the corner of Locust and North Quarry streets, will open June 1
as a playground where dogs can run leash-free. Other
parks
slated for improvements include Pulaski Park where a new playground will
be installed, Kennedy Park where basketball courts will be repaired,
Ruggles Park where new playground equipment will be installed, and
Maplewood Park where sidewalks, driveways and playgrounds will be
repaired. Fall River Park Advocate coordinator Sandy Dennis also announced
that the second annual
citywide parks cleanup day is scheduled for April 30. Volunteers are
needed to help at all city parks. Click
here for the Herald News article. Click
here for more photos and text.
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Members
of the B.M.C. Durfee High School Peaceful Coalition
and their advisors put on a student assembly during Violence Prevention Week on March
24, 2011.
During the high school’s last two periods,
the event kicked off with the unveiling of a Peace Pole that Peaceful
Coalition painted for Durfee
High School. The performance featured Peaceful Coalition’s public
service announcement from Fall River Community
TV, the United Neighbors’ community video, a violence prevention
panel, true stories of violence live from Peaceful Coalition members, an
original rap, and cultural dance presentations. The event was an
outstanding assembly that celebrated peace, our similarities, and our
differences. Click
here for photos of the Coalition meeting with U.S. Attorney Carmen
Ortiz. Click
here for photos of a Coalition session with the Fall River Police. Click
here for photos of a recent teamwork exercise. Click
here for more
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Click
here to learn more about Groundwork USA
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Mayor
Will Flanagan invites you to join him or to send a
representative to an important meeting to hear about Groundwork
USA
and explore the idea of creating a
Groundwork
South
Coast
.
Wednesday,
April 27 at 12:00 Noon
The
meeting will take place at the Thomas Chew Boys and Girls Club,
803 Bedford St.
,
Fall River
You
will have the opportunity to hear about the formation, growth and
accomplishments of Groundwork Lawrence and Groundwork Providence.
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Keynote Speaker
Rajiv Kumar
Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Shape Up the Nation |
Second Annual
Southcoast Worksite Health & Wellness Conference
Worksite
Wellness:
The Future is Now!
Friday, May 6, 2011, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon |
"Using
Social Networks to Engage Employees in Health"
Plus a Provider panel on
Motivating employees toward healthier lifestyles
And mini-workshops on worksite fitness and nutrition!
Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Center
151 Martine St., Fall River, MA
$35 Registration includes Continental Breakfast!
Go
to www.SouthcoastWorksiteHealth.com
for complete information and to register
Click
here for a
conference pdf flyer
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