FARMINGTON – Healthy Community Coalition has received a $75,000 grant from the Environmental Funders Network Quality of Place Fund of the Maine Community Foundation.
This funding will allow HCC to engage area youths and their families in a dynamic educational opportunity focused on health and the natural environment. Working with collaborative partners the Center for GIS and the Maine Mountain Heritage Network, the project is a successful blending of innovative digital mapping technologies (GIS, GPS), promotion of physical activity, and the identification of traditional cultural and heritage sites resources.
HCC and the project partners see this as an opportunity for a project that supports public education efforts to ensure respectful use of private lands while emphasizing place-based strengths.
“This project will allow us to develop and market the quality of place we call Greater Franklin County by exposing both youth and adults to the region’s abundant natural resources, revealing our cultural heritage, and promoting physical activity and community engagement,” said Heather Davis, HCC executive director. “By working together to map parts of our beautiful region, youths can learn environmental stewardship and participate in physical activity projects that promote overall good health. Exposing area youths to some of these great places will help ensure that they are not lost for generations to follow-that families seeking to recreate for the day-can follow in the footsteps of these young GIS pioneers and find adventures all can enjoy right in their own backyard.”
Healthy Community Coalition is an affiliate of the Franklin Community Health Network with a mission to measurably improve the health and well-being of all people in Franklin County and neighboring towns using a coordinated approach of education, health promotion and outreach. HCC provides programs and works with partners to promote healthy lifestyles and educate the public about ways to prevent disease and improve the quality of their lives. HCC also strives to bring the community together, expanding opportunities for recreation, voluntarism, work, and networking.
For 25 years the Maine Community Foundation has been partnering with donors and community groups to strengthen Maine through grants and scholarships. For more information, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.mainecf.org or call toll-free 1-877-700-6800.
