By Shelly Mascari
The Way to Wellville Challenge is entering its sixth month, and the first Wellville initiative in Lake County is being launched today. The participating organizations and agencies around Lake County are proud to introduce … drum roll, please … Hot Fun in the Summertime!
The goal of “Hot Fun” — as the organizers like to call it — is to get 5,000 kids active and fed three meals a day over the summer.
This goal can be accomplished by pooling existing resources and information into one organized effort. “There are so many events, activities, and resources that already exist in Lake County, and we want more people excited about taking advantage of what’s happening in their own communities,” says Partnerships in Community Health Coordinator Jen Dalton. “Through Hot Fun we can amplify the information so that more people know what is available and can join in the fun.”
First up is the nutrition piece, because if kids are hungry there’s no way they can be active and engaged. There are many sites around Lake County where any child can drop in for a free meal, mostly at schools, churches and parks.
As Dalton puts it, “Kids should be focused on fun, not on where their next meal is coming from.” There are also food resources for adults, including senior centers and NCO’s Clearlake Food Pantry, which has an on-site garden filled with vegetables for clients to harvest.
Once they’re well fed, kids and teens can collect tokens over the summer by participating in Hot Fun activities like going on a nature walk at Rodman Slough, enjoying a guided hike at Clearlake State Park, or taking a dip at a public pool. Kids can redeem those tokens for goodies at HUB parties and the county fair in September. July is national Parks and Recreation month, so this is the perfect time to launch Hot Fun and a great opportunity to get kids away from screens and into nature.
Since Hot Fun is focused on health, the hospitals and clinics will play a major role. During medical visits, kids will be asked about food stability and exercise and be tested for pre-diabetic measures. This will help the clinics and hospitals connect kids and their families with the resources they need, and kids will get a token for participating in the survey. “It’s phenomenal for all the clinics and hospitals to support this,” said Kim Tangermann, clinic manager at Lakeside Health Center. “An organized, county-wide effort means that we’ll be able to make real change and improve the health of children in our community.”
If you’re on social media, you should start to see flyers and announcements about Hot Fun events and activities. Find and like “Health Uprising” on Facebook to learn more and stay up-to-date — new activities and events are added every week. You can also look for the Hot Fun logo and flyers around Lake County, which will be posted in English and Spanish.
If you offer fun summer activities, free meals or medical services and you would like to participate in Hot Fun in the Summertime, or if you would like to learn more about the initiative, contact Gloria Flaherty at the Lake Family Resource Center: (707) 279-0563.
