What is the program?

Saginaw County Parks and Recreation will be the promotional partner in educating the community of the services offered from the various partners referenced as part of this grant and beyond in promoting a healthier Saginaw County for people young and old. Through the Saginaw County Parks and Recreation’s own mission of educating all Saginaw County residents of the amenities and programs they offer, they will utilize this publicity to also educate all Saginaw County residents of the amenities and programs offered by county, city AND nonprofit entities.

How will grant dollars be used?

Funding would be used to leverage the existing operational dollars Saginaw County Parks and Recreation uses to promote their offerings to the county. This will include the designing, production and distribution of collateral materials that all community partners can use when promoting their own services focusing on healthy outcomes of youth and seniors.

Who do they collaborate with?

Saginaw County Parks and Recreation has a history of working with city and county governmental entities along with the nonprofit community. As of September 15, 2015, the Saginaw County Commissioners appointed a new Saginaw County Parks and Recreation Director, Brian Lechel. In an article published on MLive.com, Lechel stated, “he hopes to collaborate with township, village and city governments throughout Saginaw County and work to provide residents with the best possible parks and recreation opportunities.”

Saginaw County Parks and Recreation is an active member of the Obesity Action Group, a subcommittee of the Saginaw Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The focus of the group is to reduce obesity and to improve the lives of those residents in Saginaw County. These quarterly meetings allow for sharing, collaborating and networking with other agencies on the subject of healthy lifestyles. The agencies represented promote one another’s programs, support community initiatives and work on joint programming to meet the needs of the people in Saginaw County.

What’s the plan for sustainability?

The Saginaw Community Foundation maintains a field of interest fund dedicated to promoting healthy programs/projects benefitting youth and seniors. Saginaw County Parks and Recreation are allowed to apply for these grant funds to help leverage their promotional operating budget to educate the Saginaw community of community partner assets in the future.