Healthy City Fall River
Update - July 14, 2010

Click here for the Summer 2010  edition of the Healthy City CONNECTION

 
Mayor Will Flanagan helped Community Development Re-creation (CD-REC) kick-off the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at Lafayette Park on July 6, 2010. The Program, administered nationally by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Department of Education, was established to ensure that children in needy areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer months that are comparable to those served under the National School Lunch Program. Free lunch is available to children 18 years of age and younger, Monday through Friday, from Monday, July 6th through September 3rd at North, Griffin, Lafayette, Ruggles Parks as well as Father Diaferio Village will serve lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.. Abbott Court, Kennedy, Maplewood, and Pulaski Parks will serve lunch from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 p.m. Park activities will also be provided from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM. The program has been in place for the past 14 years. Click here for more photos and text.
Fall River Housing Authority Family and Youth Services Coordinator Joseph DaSilva invited local officials, residents and all those who were involved in helping to create the housing development's second community garden for an opening event on July 7, 2010 at the Oak Village Apartments in the City's North End. Mr. DaSilva thanked the Mayor's Office, YouthBuild, the Oak Village Apartments tenants' association, and his own summer youth staff for their contributions to making the garden available to residents. "Gardening is one of the best things that anyone can do for their health, both for the exercise and for the great nutrition the vegetables produce" noted Healthy City coordinator David S. Weed, Psy.D. Click here to read the Herald News article. Click here for pictures of the Doolan Apartment Community Garden opening last year. Click here to see all of the community gardens in Fall River. Click here for more photos and text describing the event.
Fresh produce is sold every Saturday morning from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, from June 5th to October 30th, at Kennedy Park in the City's South End. Farmers from Berkley, Dartmouth, Dighton, Rehoboth, Swansea and Westport bring their crops to Fall River's two farmers' markets, one at Kennedy Park and the other at Ruggles Park. Some of the farmers have been selling at this market for the past 35 years. Rachel Golsby coordinates the two markets, and, this year, is working with Healthy Market Coordinator Kristen Gunderson to bring more farmers and more customers to the markets. Click here for other pictures of the Kennedy Market. Click here for news about a new market on Old Second Street. Click here for a listing of hundreds of farms in the area. Click here for the Healthy Neighborhood Market locations. Click here for photos of some of the farmers who sell at the Kennedy market.
The City of Fall River and the Friends of Heritage State Park partnered to sponsor a Fourth of July evening event at Battleship Cove that drew thousands. The warm evening brought people to the waterfront to enjoy the carnival events at the midway set up in the parking lot or to listen to the music of the musical group Room Full of Blues. As the sun set over the Taunton River, a few even took advantage of the live music to dance in the grass. By 9:30 p.m. twenty minutes of fireworks had begun, much to the enjoyment of the crowd that included lots of children and families, many from surrounding communities. "This is a terrific event for families," commented Dave Cote of Fall River who brought his two-and-a-half-year-old son to see the event. Click here for photos of last year's event. Click here for the Herald News article about the event. Click here for more photos and text describing the event. 
One of more than forty-five Peace Poles created by 25 local organizations was "planted" at Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR) on June 30, 2010. The plantings work to create a more peaceful community by raising awareness and promoting empowerment, collaboration and connection to reduce and prevent violence. This planting was organized by members of the GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning) group that is working with the BOLD Coalition to bring about a non-violent, drug-free community. Other plantings are being organized by United Neighbors director Wendy Garf-Lipp in cooperation with the World Peace Prayer Society. Click here for the March 3rd unveiling ceremony and here for the first official planting in Griffin Park. For more information, contact Lance Tehan at SSTAR at 508-679-5222 or Wendy Garf-Lipp at United Neighbors at  508-324-7900. Click here for more photos and text describing the event.
In coordination with Mayor William A. Flanagan and the Corky Row Neighborhood Association, seven members of the Church of Christ at 840 Rock Street, Fall River, invited guests from a sister church in Keller, Texas, to join them in painting the wrought iron fence around Griffin Park on June 30, 2010. The group of twenty-seven teens and adults is visiting the area for a week to perform several service projects. "We offered the group several options," stated City Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Perry Long, "and they chose this one. It's a big task, but they seem up to the challenge," he added. Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan and Corky Row Neighborhood Association President Carmen Andino stopped by to thank the group for their assistance in helping to restore the park for use by the neighbors. For more information, contact Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Perry Long at 508-676-0324. Click here for more photos and text.
 

     

HealthFirst Family Care Center ’s 
“Beach Party Blast”

HealthFirst Family Care Center’s “Beach Party Blast”, sponsored by Bank Five, takes place at the Eagle Event Center, 35 North Main Street, Fall River on Friday, August 13. Cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m. with a buffet at 7 p.m.  MC Music’s DJ Mike Cordeiro will provide the music.   

Eight recognizable, respected members of the Greater Fall River business and professional community have been selected to partner with professional ballroom dance instructors and will make their debut on Saturday, October 23 at a dinner and dance competition at White’s of Westport .  The highlight of the evening will feature the announcement of the local celebrity contestants for HealthFirst’s third annual “Stepping Out with HealthFirst” event. Tickets at $25 are available by calling Paula Harrison at 774-627-1204.

 

Healthy City Fall River Update is sent to over 500 participants in Healthy City Fall River, a partnership between the City of Fall River and Partners for a Healthier Community with a mission to improve the health status of all those who live or work in the City of Fall River. For further information about Healthy City Fall River, go to www.healthycityfallriver.org. To see all of the web pages describing Healthy City activities, go to http://www.gfrpartners.com/HealthyCity-related10.html. In order to send announcements of Healthy City events or to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, contact the Coordinator at drweed@cox.net. Agencies: please add this e-mail address or our fax number (508-324-2429) to your standard media notification list so we can cover your event on the Healthy City Update.