Brandon takes first steps to improve well-being of community

What is a healthy hometown? It’s more than residents running 5Ks or adopting the latest and greatest diet fad. It’s about creating sustainable, adoptable lifestyle changes. It’s citizens coming together to make the healthy choice the easy choice. And a group of Brandon residents are working to just that.

Brandon has taken the first steps to become a healthy community through Healthy Hometown Powered by Wellmark. Healthy Hometown works with participants to identify easy-to-implement tactics that help communities thrive. There are three tracks – or areas of focus – that residents can focus on to make improvements. Those areas are: Eat well, move more, and feel better.

One of the first things the Brandon Healthy Hometown committee did was host a walking audit workshop. Participants learned about the principles of walkability – things that are proven to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety, as well as making it easy to move more. Led by a Wellmark community health consultant, they completed a planned walk around Brandon, noting areas that my pose safety concerns as well as those things the city has already put in place to promote walking and safety.

“The sidewalk project on Main Street is a great example of changing the built environment to promote walking,” said Angie Brown, Wellmark community health manager. “Sidewalks and crosswalks have made that area of town much safer for pedestrians. The city of Brandon should be commended for their efforts.”

Another focus area is creation of Brandon’s first community garden. The committee members working on this project have an initial concept but no definitive plans. They have shared the idea with the Parks Board, but a location hasn’t been secured at this time.

“Community gardens,” says Tonna Jacobson, project champion, “are not only a way to allow residents the opportunity to grow their own fresh produce, but also a way to connect people with each other and promote physical activity through gardening.”

Jacobson is looking for residents who are interested in helping plan the community garden to get involved in the project. Those interested can email her at BVgardenproject@gmail.com.

The Brandon Healthy Hometown committee plans to create a Facebook page soon to help inform the public about their efforts and other health and well-being activities.

To learn more about Healthy Hometown, visit Wellmark.com/healthyhometown.