Summer program to promote physical activity through community partnerships

By Rebecca J. Barnabi
For Augusta Free Press

Several local organizations, including Waynesboro Schools, are partnering to bring opportunities for physical activity and access to books to the River City’s low-income children.

“Community in Motion: Resources and Fun for All” is a response to Augusta Health’s 2019 Community Needs Assessment.

“And one of the needs that came out of that was physical activity,” said Krystal Moyers, Augusta Health Administrative Director of Community Outreach and Partnership. A new needs assessment is gathering information from the public now.

Moyers said that Augusta Health and the Waynesboro YMCA considered options to meet that need in the community, and “knew that ultimately we wanted to bring community partners together.”

In 1997, while with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Waynesboro YMCA Executive Director Jeff Fife participated in the Jammin’ Book Van, which visited low-income neighborhoods with DJ equipment and books. Eventually, the van was with the Waynesboro Rotary Club and then the YMCA, and played music and encouraged everyone to come out of their homes to play games and get books.

About five months ago, Fife told Moyers about the van.

“And that idea kind of really stuck with me,” Moyers said.

The partnering organizations, including Waynesboro Schools, the Waynesboro YMCA, Augusta Health, LIFEworks Project, the Boys and Girl Club, The United Way of Greater Augusta, the Office on Youth, Embrace Waynesboro, Waynesboro Public Library, Sin Barreras, the Virginia Department of Health and The Wayne Theatre, according to Moyers, did an inventory of current community programs. Then considered what need could they meet from the assessment, and what barriers did the community have to prevent them from access to achieving that need.

Moyers said Waynesboro Schools was willing to donate a mobile van no longer needed by the school system. After approval from Waynesboro School Board, the van was donated to the Office on Youth.

The community partners are identifying low-income neighborhoods in Waynesboro, and, Moyers said, will create a schedule of which neighborhoods the van will visit on Saturdays this summer. Each organization will take a turn providing an activity. For example, one Saturday Waynesboro Schools will provide produce from its program with the Allegheny Mountain Institute and books. Another Saturday, Augusta Health will provide a physical activity with produce from Embrace. Augusta Health could provide canned goods with a physical activity by the YMCA on another Saturday.

“This could be a collaboration to bring all our resources together,” Moyers said.

Fife said the Community in Motion van, which will be painted next week, is a dedicated vehicle to a program backed by the city of Waynesboro and community organizations.

On June 4 and 11, the YMCA is scheduled with the Waynesboro Public Library to visit neighborhoods with the van.

“I’m going to make some noise. We get to be the inaugural organization,” Fife said. He added community partners hope the van becomes like when an ice cream truck visits a neighborhood: a much looked forward to and welcome sight. “The Y is well positioned to be that loud entity,” Fife said.

Community in Motion is “going to have a positive impact on real vulnerable families in our area,” he said.

“It’s totally surreal watching collaborative magic work,” Fife said.