A new foundation in Chelsea will invest about $1 million annually to improve the health of residents in Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Grass Lake and Stockbridge.
The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation is meeting this month with groups involved in health promotion in those areas, and has already started receiving grant applications, executive director Amy Heydlauff said. (She’s pictured, along with much of the rest of the foundation board, at left.)
For instance, this Wednesday the group will meet with school board presidents and superintendents from all five towns.
“Later in the month we’ll meet with village/city managers, mayors, and chairs of various government councils,” she said. “Sometime later we’ll meet with other non-profit groups.”
Studies conducted every five years in Michigan show that Chelsea and the other four cities have been worse off than the rest of Washtenaw County in terms of weight, exercise and healthy eating habits for the last decade.
The foundation is endowed with $25 million, and is the result of the merger between Chelsea Community Hospital and the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. It will primarily operate by funding grants, both large and small, for other organizations and programs promoting health and wellness in the area. For more information, see the foundation’s Web site.
Tags: Chelsea, nonprofits
I would love to see more exercise classes/activities for the 10-17 yrs old group. I have a 12 yr old who doesn’t like sports or dance and she can’t find a yoga class in town to take or any other physical activity. It’s too bad Chelsea Wellness Center doesn’t allow kids with parents even just 1 night a week. My daughter would love to take classes with me or just go and swim laps. Before you suggest going to the pool at Beach, it is reserved from after school until 8:30 every night. And 8:30 is too late for a 7th grader to go do laps.
Cathie, Thank you for the opportunity to clarify that the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation is not the Chelsea Wellness Center. Although the next sentence may complicate things, I do also want to explain the Chelsea Wellness Center, which was built & owned by Chelsea Community Hospital up until the merger, is now one of the assets of the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation. So, we do appreciate your comments and concern. Please feel free to contact me, directly, at any time. The Foundation’s phone number is 433.4599.
Thanks for your response Amy. My point was that the only organized physical activity in Chelsea for young people is limited to organized sports (oops and also dance). There is no fitness facility in Chelsea that allows children to work out on a regular basis (if there is I would love to know about it). Once a child reaches middle school they know whether they are athletically inclined or not. If they are not, but still want to exercise there are NO opportunities for them. If we really want to change the health of our community we need to start in middle school when many children stop moving. The school is doing a tremendous job with offering a salad bar and wonderful health classes. But a middle schooler who doesn’t play sports (or take dance) is left out of physical activity in Chelsea. My middle school daughter and I can’t even find a place to go walking inside during the winter time!
Agreed! Kids are key to changing our collective health habits. Take a look at our website and grant criteria, Cathie (www.5healthytowns.org). A granting focus for 2010 is youth, young adults and young families.
[...] See our previous story on the Foundation. [...]