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Last updated on Monday, November 5, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department has received a $10,000 grant to support programs taking place now through September 30, 2019, that increase physical activity among youth and adolescents.
The "Youth and Adolescent Physical Activity" (YAPA) Grant is funded by the Indiana State Department of Health Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. A renewal of the same grant awarded to the parks department in 2017-18, will allow for the development of a program to encourage youth to get outside and be active in new and creative ways.
The centerpiece of the initiatives being funded by the grant is the "Passport to Parks" program, slated for summer 2019. The program will incentivize young residents to explore their city and get active by providing them with a passport to be stamped each time they complete one of the adventures listed. Passports will be available to elementary- and middle school-age children, summer campers, and participants in the IU Health Bloomington Hospital Get Onboard Active Living (G.O.A.L.) program, who can redeem each stamp for a prize.
The grant funds will also be used to expand youth Yoga Club and Fit Club, programs implemented at Kid City and the Banneker Community Center summer camps in 2018 through last year's grant funds. Current funding will allow for the activities also to be offered during the year through Banneker's after-school program.
"Our goal is to reach out not only to children but also to their families, to offer programs that are health-minded and easily accessible," Klein said. "The grant funds help a great deal toward accessibility because we'll be able to reduce or eliminate registration and equipment fees for programs."
For more information about the YAPA Grant program, or about Bloomington Parks and Recreation's health and wellness initiatives, please contact Jess Klein at kleinj@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3771.
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