| Check out the Blue Zones web site! Blue Zones are places where people normally live long and healthy lives. Find out their secrets/ Have fun by taking the Blue Zones Vitality Compass survey to see how long your life might be today and what kind of change you might see if you make healthy changes. |
Headed by Mayor Larry Murphy, a team of Oelwein citizens trekked to Cedar Rapids for the Blue Zones Road Show. Loved hearing Dan Buettner speak about his travels and what he learned about living a long and healthy life. We can have that here! What an inspiration.Check out our Blues Zones Oelwein Facebook group. |
900+ of us tuned out for the Walk Somewhere event. All the schools took the students for a walk, downtown walkers took to the streets, and the Wellness Center walkers turned out in full force! It was a great day. |
| The Blue Zones Project for Iowa is underway! Iowa will select 3 or 4 communities this year to become Blue Zones with another 6 or 7 communities to be chosen over the next couple of years. Oelwein wants to be one of those communities! Oelwein, independently initiated its own Healthy Oelwein Initiative in August, 2008 in collaboration with Des Moines University & the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium , holding community meetings to plan expansion of programming at the Wellness Center, Community Schools, and the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Program. Eventually expanded planning to include the Fuel Up Play 60 program at Oelwein schools. Hospital dietician is a key member of the Healthy Oelwein Initiative. |
Oelwein is committed to Wellness. We have an outdoor aquatic center, two golf courses, a park system with seven parks, vacant l city-owned lots for community gardens spring, (2012), bike trails (connecting many of the schools & parks with plans to eventually have all school buildings and parks and business district tied together by walking/bike trails – all but 3 blocks of the current 7 mile course off city streets with ½ of course either in woodlands or open fields). Mile markers were installed summer, 2011. The long term plan for the city is to connect with surround communities by biking trails, to include Fontana (family wildlife zoo run by County Conservation Board. A Farmer’s Market is held twice weekly in Oelwein.
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What has Oelwein accomplished?
Built a Community Wellness Center as part of an eighty thousand square foot Community Enrichment Complex that includes a Community Wellness Center, a Community Performing Arts Center, a Community College Center and a Community Childcare Center (a fitness center for the mind and body) – The Wellness Center includes an all-purpose gymnasium, a walking track, cardio room, weight rooms and racquetball court. The complex was opened in the fall, 2001.
Funding and operation was a collaborative effort among the city, school, county, state, Federal, hospital, local foundations, and the general public. Covenant Healthcare System operates the Wellness Center and provides scholarships to low-income families for membership.
City of Oelwein & Oelwein Community Schools & Community Foundation established Advisory Committee for Wellness Center to establish future programming, planning and management for Wellness Center (2010).
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Established Disc Golf (Frisbee Golf) course at one of core city parks to provide outdoor options for families and seniors. Disc golf supplies available for free from Community Wellness Center. Partnered with local microbrewery and local Golf Course to host Pro Disc Golf Tournament (2008-2011).City Park & Recreation Programs offer youth soccer (Kindergarten through 6th Grade), Tee Ball /Softball, through Little League for both boy and girls, Blaster Ball for toddlers, Flag Football, Basketball and Volleyball, Adult softball (men & women), Volleyball. City Council worked with Project Aware (state organization) to clear waterways in the community as part of its “Water Trails” Initiative (2010).
Play 60 is Huge in Oelwein
Oelwein's Terry Rex, 4th Grade Teacher, is the Play 60 Teacher of the Year. Play 60 is a program sponsored by the NFL to get students moving and healthy. Mr. Rex's classroom is a beehive of activity before school as students come in and participate in movement activities. The entire Wings elementary School has signed on and the students are becoming more physically each day!
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OCSD is a big partner in health initiatives.
Northeast Ia Food & Fitness Initiative is supporting several grants with sizeable dollar amounts. Farm to school grant is being done by Mr. Smalley and the FFA students. Pick a Better Snack is being taught at grades 1-5th. Fitness Fridays have been held once a month at the LHLC to teach students healthy physical activities and snacks. Cross Training Teaching of FFA students with 2nd grade students --did 4 units about locally grown food items. Students learn where the specific foods come from and how they can be put into a healthy diet. Hot lunch program is acquiring locally grown foods for the hot lunch program as available during the growing season. Trailblazers are walks that the Oelwein Parks & Rec program is sponsoring throughout the walking trails of Oelwein. They are scheduled for Wednesday nights in May starting on May 12th, May 19th & May 26th. FFA SAE students are growing 10 acres of gardens selling produce to Oelwein, Starmont, & Independence Community Schools, and Oelwein, Waterloo & Waverly hospitals. 3 on 3 basketball tournaments are being held. Grade level suppers that serve nutritional foods that were purchased from local farmers. Safety Fair presented healthier family choices for exercise and served a nutritious inexpensive meal for $1. Kindergarten students learned how to plant tomato seeds and will get a plant that can be planted and harvested at home. Oelwein Community School Elementary and Sacred Heart Elementary School Music Curriculum taught by music teachers certified in ORFF Music Education that focuses on Movement Education as part of the daily music curriculum.
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