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The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health created High Five! to combat childhood obesity by launching programs that are community-created, community-driven and community-owned. To succeed, mayors and local businesses, school teachers and principals, non-profits and health providers, and children and parents — the entire community — drive their own High Five! programs, leading by example and being involved.
When the city initially began the technical advisory period with the High 5! Foundation, it set up the following structure to help work through the grant:
• Community Partners: Made up of anyone who had an interest in the High 5! community grant.
• Steering Committee: Made up of a select representation of the community to help make recommendations to the city council.
• Subcommittee groups: Optional groups who share a common area that wish to do project development based on the committee’s interest and the mission of the foundation.
For a chart of the High Five! community partnership structure, click here.
Community Partners assisted in the data-driven areas of the grant, developing the community surveys and directing the asset mapping and engaging the community.
"We had an unlimited group of folks who participated and we met once a month for basically the past year," Bonners Ferry City Planner Lisa Ailport said. "Shannon, with Spark, helped create the community snapshot that was developed as a result of the community partners help."
The next step is to now create the Steering Committee that will provide general oversight and recommendations to the Bonners Ferry City council on project selections.
"We have had a number of projects proposed to the city by community members," Ailport said. "The steering committee will help evaluate the project, review how it aligns with the mission of the foundation and how it meets the needs of the community as identified within our surveys and community snapshot."
The community partners can still inform the steering committee on projects and subcommittees can meet to address specific areas of project development, such as access to healthy foods or increased physical activities.
However, the project proposals will go to the steering committee for recommendations to the city council, which will make final funding decisions.
The Steering Committee will be made of representatives from the following:
• School District
• County Parks and Recreation
• U of I Ag Extension Office
• Boundary Community Hospital
• City of Bonners Ferry
• Boundary County Library
• Citizen at large
All who are interested in how the High 5 grant process works are welcome to attend. To learn more, call Ailport at (208) 267-4379.