ActiveAndersonTN announces financial support for area initiatives
ActiveAndersonTN is a locally based coalition whose mission is to create and provide opportunities for local citizens to eat healthier, get more exercise, and stop or never begin using tobacco products.
Members come from organizations around the county whose mission is to enhance healthier living.
Since its inception in 2016, ActiveAndersonTN has helped with and provided many programs, events and projects and assisted with many activities including local road races, fitness classes for youngsters to seniors, specialized programs for management of diabetes and chronic conditions and cooking classes on how to eat healthy on a limited income.
For the year 2019, Healthier TN Communities is provided a grant of $2,000 for work ActiveAndersonTN has done since the beginning of the year.
Organizations that have been instrumental in the success of ActiveAndersonTN since its inception were invited to apply for part of or all of the money.
The six entries were evaluated and scored by County Mayor Terry Frank and Charles Turner, director of the Anderson County Health Department.
By providing funds the Health Department has received from the Master Tobacco Settlement fund, which requires big tobacco companies to reimburse states for the cost of health care and other services to current and former tobacco users, as well as other funds received for health programming, Active Anderson was able to leverage the two funding streams to support the following initiatives:
• Oak Ridge Coordinated School Health: A vaping detector in the restroom of an Oak Ridge Middle School to prevent the use of tobacco products on school property by alerting staff when the vapor or fumes from a burning tobacco product are present.
• Clinton City Schools Coordinated School Health: An evidence-based curriculum for Clinton City Schools that enhances children’s sensory skills.
• ASAP, the local drug misuse prevention organization: Supplies and materials to enhance leadership skills for middle and high school students to teach their peers about tobacco and vaping misuse
• Grow Oak Ridge and the Winter Farmer’s Market: technology to process the use of SNAP cards at the market.
The Winter Farmer’s Market offers two dollars’ worth of produce for every dollar spent using SNAP benefits.
• UT Extension Service of Anderson County: weight-bearing exercise equipment for a free ongoing fitness class for seniors to begin in Clinton in January 2020
• Emory Valley Dental Clinic: the purchase of a water bottle refill station to provide clean water to clients and employees at the County Clerk’s office in Oak Ridge.
Studies have shown that drinking more water cuts down on the consumption of sugary beverages.
To partner with ActiveAndersonTN, learn more about its mission, or to make a donation, go to its website, activeandersontn.
