In all, 18 Idaho cities made applications, seven were selected in the semi-final round and three; Rexburg, Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, were selected as this year's winners.
"We're really pleased to have received this grant, and thrilled with all the support we recieved," said Bonners Ferry Mayor David Sims, who, in a video made as part of the grant application, spoke of a number of ways the grant would have a lasting and positive impact on the health of children in Bonners Ferry, including helping to expand 4-H and extension education programs to help kids make good food and nutrition choices, help fund the high school vo-ag greenhouse and upgrade the 80-year-old municipal pool.
The grant covers a three-year period (2017-2019) and will be used to support projects aimed at improving the health of youth in the areas of physical activity and access to healthy, affordable foods. Precisely how and where the money will be spent will be determined through a collaborative process between community leaders and the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health.
The Community Transformation Grant is intended to engage communities across Idaho to organize collaboration among multiple sectors – education, healthcare, non-profits, government, business and philanthropy – to focus on the reduction and/or prevention of childhood obesity.
And winning the grant is just the first in a series of steps that can now move forward, beginning with a community assessment to determine the specific needs and challenges we face here at the northern tip of Idaho as well as the strengths and assets we already have in placeto serve as a springboard, a solid foundation on which to build. It will be self sustaining, the locus for collaborations and partnerships that will not only see the dreams and visions we now have brought to fruition, but ensure that the gains made will be sustainable, lasting long after the grant monies have been invested.
"I would add that the city is thrilled for the chance to see what kinds of opportunities will come from the High Five grant," said Bonners Ferry City Planner Lisa Ailport, who worked tirelessly on the grant application and will play a key role in its development now that the grant has been won. "The grant is administered over a three year period, with this period starting in 2017 and completing in 2019. In the first six months, the High Five group will be completing a community assessment as part of their technical assistance portion of the grant. After this assessment has been completed, the city, working with community partners, will be identifying future projects that align with the foundation goals. The grant amount is up to $250,000, and while $250,000 seems like a lot of money, leveraging these dollars with other funding opportunities may lead to bigger successes across the community. The city, working with our community partners and Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation will, as the name entails, look to transform our community!"
“The Foundation believes that health doesn’t happen in a doctor’s office, it starts in communities,” said Kendra Witt-Doyle, Executive Director of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health. “The power of the Community Transformation Grant is that it supports the development of healthier environments for youth by bringing together community leaders to co-generate strategies to make a lasting impact.”