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The
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health &
Sports
and the Michigan Fitness Foundation
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Click on the icon above
to learn more about the
Exemplary Physical
Education Curriculum
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Click on the icon above
for more information about the Labor Day Community Walks
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Top Stories:
Marking the Route to a Bicycle-Friendly Flint
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| A local student test rides a recumbent bike at a Smart Commute event in downtown Flint to promote bicycling. |
A new symbol will soon mark Flint as bicycle-friendly. The Bikes Belong Coalition recently announced that the Safe and Active Flint (SAF) Coalition was awarded a $5,000 REI sponsored grant to improve bicycle safety and increase the visibility of bicyclists on the road. The community was eligible to apply for this grant because in May they received an Honorable Mention through the League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) Campaign to acknowledge the efforts in Flint to accommodate bicycling.
The SAF Coalition will use the grant funding to paint shared-lane markings, also known as “sharrows,” on city streets to make bicyclists and motorists aware of the designated bike routes. The “sharrows” are a logical step in Flint’s progression towards designing a non-motorized transportation network and will complement the first bike route map for the City of Flint, which was produced this past spring by the SAF Coalition and other community partners. These markings symbolize the community’s commitment to becoming more bicycle-friendly and create another opportunity for raising awareness of and interest in bicycling in Flint. The SAF Coalition is working to carry the momentum forward from receiving the BFC Honorable Mention and plans to use the Bikes Belong/REI grant to further transform Flint from the “Vehicle City” into the “New Vehicle City.”
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| Spin Outside the Crim, an event designed to show that anyone can be a cyclist, draws interest from avid cyclists and curious residents this May. |
The SAF Coalition is a community based group of local stakeholders that aims to create a safe and accessible pedestrian-oriented and bicycle-friendly environment for all Flint residents. The SAF Coalition is funded by the Ruth Mott Foundation and facilitated through the Michigan Fitness Foundation, in partnership with the Crim Fitness Foundation. For more information, visit: www.crim.org/safeactiveFlint.
Runners Selected for
Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run
On June 26 runners were selected by lottery to participate in the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run. The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness randomly selected 300 entrants who will come together on Labor Day to run across the bridge from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City. Those interesting in learning more about the run can access further information on the Bridge Run webpage by clicking here. Participants in the 2008 Bridge Run can ask questions and post comments on the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run blog, which is brand new this year. To view the blog, click here.
Did you miss your chance to register, or were not selected in the 2008 Bridge Run lottery? You can still participate in the 51st Annual Mackinac Bridge Walk, presented by the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association and the Mackinac Bridge Authority. The walk takes place right after the Bridge Run. For more information, click here.
Those interested in participating in the 2009 Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run must complete a Governor’s Council endorsed event and register for the 2009 lottery. To receive an email notification when the 2009 lottery is open, email marketingevents@michiganfitness.com and enter “2009 Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run” in the subject line. To view a list of endorsed events, click here.
Hundreds of Flint Commuters
Think Outside the Glovebox
In May, communities across Michigan participated in Smart Commute 2008, an initiative to promote biking, walking, and public transit to get to work, school, or run errands. The Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness partners with Michigan communities to develop and implement grant-supported demonstration projects that create pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented environments. As part of the demonstration project, Flint hosted its 2nd annual Smart Commute Week, with more than 300 area commuters leaving their cars at home and using alternative modes of transportation throughout the work week.
The weeklong Smart Commute celebration consisted of an Information Fair for area residents to learn about transportation options and local active living initiatives; local guided bike tours; and Smart Commute Day on May 16th, where Smart Commuters enjoyed breakfast at two drop-off points before walking or biking to work. Also on Smart Commute Day, six worksites participated in the Commuter Challenge, a friendly competition between local worksites to see who could attain the highest percentage of employees Smart Commuting during the workday. Hosting Smart Commute events that encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation has helped to advance an active living culture in Flint and transform the community from the “Vehicle City” into the “New Vehicle City.”
For more information, visit: www.crim.org/smartcommute.
Safe Routes to School—
Michigan Program Highlights
The Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF)/Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness is helping over 300 elementary and middle schools, in 61 counties,  complete an action plan for safer routes to school. The national Safe Routes to School program, administered in Michigan by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), aims to enable and encourage school children to walk and bicycle to school and develop a healthy lifestyle. MFF has partnered with MDOT to help schools develop multi-disciplinary teams and realistic action plans that will lead to increased walking and bicycling to school on safer routes.
MFF also administers a state Safe Routes to School network of agencies, universities, and non-profits. Eight network partners are building bridges between safer routes to school and Michigan’s trail advocates, bicycle advocates, advocates for children with disabilities, local health department officials, planning professionals, university extension and nutrition staff, and initiatives in urban areas.
An exciting, new, safe routes to school activity is underway: engaging youth in planning for safer routes to school in their community. For example, 20 seventh-grade students at Nichols Elementary and Middle School in Detroit were active participants in safer routes planning in the spring of 2008. Youth and adult chaperones walked the routes students use to get to school, and mapped the safety hazards they found along the routes using state-of-art technologies. The youth created and delivered a presentation on their findings to their peers, teachers, administrators and dignitaries in their community. Similar presentations have been highly successful at gaining support of key decisions makers and bringing about change. Congratulations to the Nichol’s students and staff who have shown themselves and others the power of service learning!
For more information on Safe Routes to School in Michigan, click here.
Labor Day Community Walks
Celebrate Fitness, Tradition
 Michigan communities are invited to encourage physical activity and celebrate the tradition of the Labor Day Bridge Walk by hosting a 2008 Labor Day Community Walk.
Each year approximately 50,000 Michigan residents participate in the Mackinac Bridge Walk, an annual event that began on Labor Day in 1958. The Governor’s Council encourages communities to host their own “virtual bridge walk” in order to link the entire state in the annual tradition.
Sponsorship from Farm Bureau Insurance allows the Governor’s Council to provide materials to communities that host the Labor Day Walks. Registered communities will receive a logo that can be used on any of the printed materials associated with the Walk as well as a free packet, which includes a sample press release and a publicity flyer, to assist community leaders in planning a successful event.
Are you interested? Click here to request more information and to receive a Labor Day Walk packet, at no charge, to help guide you in planning a successful Labor Day Community Walk!
ACES 2008 a Statewide Success
ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously) is a worldwide event that joins schoolchildren together on the first Wednesday each May in a gesture of unity in fitness. At 10 a.m. on May 7, children in Michigan and throughout the world participated in various physical activities.
More than 1,000 schools took part in ACES festivities in Michigan, with more than 400,000 participants statewide. Each of the 83 counties in Michigan had schools participating in ACES. Thank you and congratulations to all who attended ACES, the world’s largest exercise class!
All participating schools who returned their ACES feedback forms by May 16 were entered into a lottery to win “Fit Bits,” a collection of 10 to 15-minute activities designed for use by classroom teachers to promote physical activity. Congratulations to our three winning schools:
Cedar View Elementary School, Cedar Springs, MI
Hillcrest Elementary School, Alma, MI
North Adams Elementary School, North Adams, MI
2008 marked the 10 year anniversary of ACES in Michigan. Farm Bureau Insurance has been the sponsor of Michigan’s program since the beginning. The generous support from Farm Bureau Insurance allows participating schools to receive free support materials for their ACES events, including posters, flyers, as well as stickers and newsletters for each student.
There are 42 schools in Michigan that have achieved a perfect ACES attendance record for the past 10 years. Each school with a decade of perfect attendance was awarded a certificate signed by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and Jim Robinson, President of Farm Bureau Insurance. Congratulations to all 10 year ACES schools! To view a list of all schools with a decade of ACES attendance, click here.
West Elementary in Grandville, Michigan is one of the 42 ACES anniversary schools. On ACES day, students participated in a “Follow the Leader for Fitness” activity, as well as a fitness parade and poster contest.
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