Sidney earning awards for participation in national program

Sidney’s residents were already working toward making the city healthier when officials decided to enroll the town in the Let’s Move! program.

“Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams,” according to the organization’s website.

While attending national meetings, Sidney mayor Wendall Gaston heard about the opportunity for cities to participate in the program. He realized that many of the required activities to be involved in the program were already taking place in Sidney and thought the residents should receive some recognition for them.

“I think we have a young population that’s very interested in that lifestyle,” Gaston said.

Involvement in the program will help show newcomers that Sidney is interested in being a healthy community, he added.

The city doesn’t necessarily have to head the efforts to improve the health of the residents, but it helps recognize them.

The school’s year-round lunch and breakfast programs as well as the Get Fit & Stay Fit challenge sponsored by the community center and hospital are both parts of Sidney’s participation in Let’s Move! The Get Fit challenge promotes good nutrition and physical fitness, said community development director Megan McGown.

The Get Fit & Stay Fit Challenge is a weight loss competition that is designed to not only encourage weight loss, but to promote a healthy lifestyle so that participants keep up with healthy practices after the competition has finished.

Communities are rewarded with gold, silver or bronze medals for their work toward accomplishing each of the five goals outlined in Let’s Move!

To achieve goal one, cities must provide children with a healthy start. For goal two, cities must display MyPlate in all municipal or county venues where food is served. Goal three promotes healthy food in schools and participation in school lunch and breakfast programs. Goal four encourages improving access to healthy, affordable foods and in goal five, participants must encourage an increase in physical activity which could include initiatives to increase access to play or mapping local play spaces.

The city has received two medals, a bronze in goal one and a silver in goal three.

“I think, you know, it’s nice to be known as a healthy community,” McGown said.

Sidney recently received the silver medal in goal three because of the high level of participation in the school’s year round breakfast and lunch programs.

“This silver medal was a move up,” McGown said.

McGown is considering speaking with those at GIS to map the current parks and walking path system as part of Let’s Move! just to give residents more opportunities to be active.

“Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese,” according to a report on Letsmove.gov.

Those heading the Let’s Move program are concerned that if this problem isn’t addressed many young people will face serious health issues in the future including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

This rise in childhood obesity occurred because of lifestyle changes including the fact that children no longer walk or play actively as much as they did in the past. Most meals used to be prepared at home and included vegetables, while now many eat fast food on the go.

The National League of Cities is heading the program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Association of Counties and additional nonprofit organizations.

“Local elected officials play a critical role in addressing childhood obesity in our country and communities, and we commend those leaders being recognized for their achievements in taking action to improve healthy eating and physical activity in their communities,” said NLC President Marie Lopez Rogers, mayor of Avondale, Ariz. in a press statement.

Around 370 cities, towns and counties are currently participating in this program and the NLC has given out 1,274 medals to commend participants for their work.

Sidney began participation in the program in spring of this year and is one of seven Nebraska municipalities participating, including South Sioux City, Omaha, Lincoln, York, Cambridge and Polk County. It’s the only city in the Panhandle involved in Let’s Move!

“That’s one more quality of life thing we can tout,” McGown said.