Community Cares!
A weekly blog from the
Rockland Community Foundation
Celebrating activities that make a difference in the
county we call home.
Making Rockland County the Healthiest Community in the Nation
Community Cares welcomes this week's guest blogger, Una Diffley of Rockland Alliance
for Health
Have you heard about the Rockland Alliance for Health—also known as RAH? The
Rockland Alliance for Health is a new and growing not-for-profit organization. RAH is
working to fulfill a special vision - a vision of making Rockland County the healthiest
community in the nation--- one small step at a time.
How does RAH hope to achieve this vision? RAH has an active board of local health
professionals and leaders of community organizations. The board oversees providing
small grants and technical assistance to schools, worksites, community organizations
and restaurants and food vendors to help them fund projects to improve the health of
their employees, students, consumers, and neighbors.
You’d be surprised at the difference $500 to $5,000 can make to an organization. A
small amount of support for a well-designed project can have a huge impact.
RAH funds projects that will last and that will lead to long-term changes. RAH’s minigrants and technical support have led to new walking paths and gym programs for
worksites to get their employees moving. Caribbean Food Delights is a small, diverse
food-manufacturing employer located in Tappan, NY. They applied for a mini-award to
create an onsite fitness space and to pilot a program where employees receive
reimbursment for participation in a 10-session Zumba program. With the mini-award,
Caribbean Food Delights purchased a treadmill, elliptical, stationary bicycle, privacy
screens, a water cooler, and some smaller exercise items. An official fitness center kickoff was held on April 2, 2012. Caribbean Food Delights measured an outdoor walking
path and received 10 signs to mark the path. Caribbean Food Delights has changed the
culture of its workplace to one that supports health, nutrition, and physical activity.
RAH has also helped pre-schools turn their parking lots into playgrounds and it has
helped organizations begin and expand gardens to grow their own produce.
RAH is working to make healthy lifestyles and healthy environments a habit. And RAH
wants to make it easier for everyone in Rockland to live healthier lives. We hope to fund
even more projects in the future –in fact we will be releasing an RFA in the late spring of
2013 to give more organizations the opportunity to make changes to improve nutrition,
increase physical activity and keep the environment tobacco free.
RAH will also be sponsoring some exciting activities in the months ahead. Stay tuned!
To learn more about the Rockland Alliance for Health and how you can become involved
to make Rockland a healthier community, please go to
www.rocklandallianceforhealth.org
About the Community Cares Blog and the Rockland Community Foundation
The Community Cares Blog, hosted by the Rockland Community Foundation, celebrates
the spirit of giving in our community. Each week, we will post a story of philanthropy or
shine a spotlight on an activity that is making a difference in the lives of our neighbors.
We invite Rockland non-profits, individuals and businesses to contribute to the
Community Cares blog by sending an email to [email protected].
As the umbrella charitable organization for the county, the Rockland Community
Foundation is working to connect donors with the causes they care about most. Our
grants support a wide range of interests and, with the support of Rockland residents and
businesses, we are committed to a path of growth that will enable us to help the nonprofit community continue their vital work. You can learn more by visiting us at
http://www.rocklandgives.org.
Like us on Facebook