Ride with the First Selectman on Saturday

If you're looking for a fun way to get outside with your family this fall, there's no better opportunity than the Wilton "Get Movin', Get Healthy" kickoff on Saturday, September 11th  from 12-2:00pm.

"Get Movin', Get Healthy" is being planned by the Wilton Alliance for a Healthier Community as a town-wide initiative to increase good nutrition and physical activity in the community. Working off a $52,000 grant received through the Wilton YMCA from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, the "Get Movin', Get Healthy" team held several meetings in the spring to outline its goals and is now ready to put its plan into action.

The kickoff will begin at noon with a Bicycle Parade from the parking area at Allen's Meadows Field north of Wilton High School  to the Gazebo in Wilton Center. Led by First Selectman Bill Brennan and escorted by the Wilton Police Department, the ride will be safe and easy for bikers of all ages. Kids and adults alike are encouraged to decorate their bikes for the event, and the first 100 participants will receive a free gift. Walkers, runners and strollers are also invited to join the Parade.

"The goal is to encourage people to gear themselves towards health and fitness," said Karen Strickland, Development Director of the Wilton YMCA, who co-chairs the initiative with Stephanie Barksdale, Executive Director of the Wilton Chamber of Commerce. The Bicycle Parade will end at the Gazebo in town, where people who have not participated in the ride/walk can join the fun.

First Selectman Bill Brennan will present an official proclamation recognizing the town's support for the "Get Movin', Get Healthy" initiative, followed by a variety of activities at the Gazebo including  samplings of healthy foods from local restaurants, fitness demonstrations, food preparation using fresh produce from local gardens. Each individual or family will receive a "Passport to Fitness" at the Gazebo, which they can then take to participating organizations and locations throughout town for a validation stamp.   Everyone who completes their passport visits will receive a healthy prize. 

"We're trying to draw attention to the many activities going on in Wilton that weekend and  encourage people to take advantage of incentives offered by local businesses and organizations." said Strickland. "For instance, passport stamps could be given to people who select a healthy food option at a restaurant, purchase a fruit or vegetable at a store or market , or complete an exercise activity at the Y, Trackside or the Library. Participants can then bring their completed passports to the Chamber of Commerce office and get a reward."

Also at the "Get Movin' Get Healthy" kick off event, bright new "Walk Wilton" banners will be displayed throughout Wilton Center on the lampposts, encouraging people to walk, bike, jog or stroll from place to place instead of driving.  A brand new bike rack with loanable bicycles will be unveiled at the Gazebo, just one of several such racks funded by the grant that will be installed throughout a designated "Pedestrian/Wellness Zone."

This Zone follows the new sidewalk system along Route 7 and uses existing trails from Olmstead Hill Road at the north, the Wilton Y at the east, Wolfpit Road at the south and Middlebrook School at the west. 

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stephanie Barksdale, who is also co-captain of the "Get Movin', Get Healthy" team, said "our Pedestrian/Wellness Zone encompasses the vast majority of activity areas in town that area accessible by walking or biking.  Over 20 key sites are included in the Zone, such as 3 of the 4 public schools, Comstock Community Center, the town tennis courts, many of the athletic fields, Wilton Library, Trackside, Wilton Center businesses, Schenck's Island and Merwin Meadows parks, the Y,  and much more.  If we can get people committed to walking more in this pedestrian-friendly zone and leaving their cars at parking hubs, we will have taken a big step toward increasing physical fitness levels in our community."

Wilton High School sophomore Tristan Haas plans to build kiosks at strategic points within the "Pedestrian/ Wellness Zone" as part of his Eagle Scout project. The kiosks will serve as information booths with directions to less well-known town parks , distance measurements between popular walking points, and healthy eating tips. Tristan will show a prototype of his kiosk project at the "Get Movin', Get Healthy" event, which he plans to build with supplies donated by local lumberyards and funding from the grant. 

Karina Olsen, a senior at Wilton High School, is working with the group to establish a community garden at Trackside to fulfill her Girl Scout Gold Award.

The kickoff marks the start of a two-year program to encourage physical activity, increase access to healthy foods, and implement long-term policy initiatives. The Wilton Y was one of only 6 YMCAs in Connecticut to receive the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Center to Combat Childhood Obesity grant, and a Steering Committee of 12 community leaders was formed in 2009.  After training and orientation sessions, the Team was expanded to over 30 people who wanted to assist in developing a Community Action Plan.  This included health care professionals, town directors, students and parents who have worked together over the past months to pull all of the elements together and generate awareness and support for the initiative.  "We as a community need to come together to make sure that we begin to reverse the trend of physical inactivity and poor nutrition within our younger population. The influences of sedentary activities such as the playing of video games and hours of "screen time" coupled with intake of foods high in fats, sugars and salt have increased the potential for diabetes, heart disease and renal issues among our children at an alarming rate," notes Wilton Family YMCA Executive Director Bob McDowell.  "These are silent killers that can afflict young people who are not excessively overweight or obese, but who do not have good fitness or eating habits.  We want to change that pattern before it's too late."

Indeed, many Wilton students do not meet national physical fitness test standards. In response to this, the public schools will begin piloting a Fitnessgram program at Middlebrook this fall. Fitnessgram is a software program that allows physical education staff to record and evaluate each student's fitness levels based on five components. "We'll be able to track where kids need to grow, and draw connections between physical fitness and academic performance and attendance," said Middlebrook Physical Education teacher Heather Schlitz, who will spearhead the project. "Hopefully, the program will eventually be expanded to K-12," said Wilton Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Arlene Gottesman.

"Get Movin', Get Healthy" is geared not just towards children but to community members of all ages. Saturday's kickoff event, which coincides with the Wilton Chamber of Commerce "Celebrate Wilton" weekend, is a great way for residents to join together in support of this exciting project. For more information, please contact co-captains Karen Strickland at 762-8384 x 279 (kstrick@wiltonymca.org) or Stephanie Barksdale at 203-762-0567 (wiltoncoc@snet.net). Additionally, you can learn more at www.wiltonwellness.blogspot.com.