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A One-day Race; A Year-round Force for Health and Wellness

Community Collaboration and Promotion

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Page 1: Community Collaboration and Promotion

A One-day Race;A Year-round Force for

Health and Wellness

Page 2: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Where is the Crim Fitness Foundation?

•Flint, MI•Genesee County

Page 3: Community Collaboration and Promotion

What Are We Doing Today?

• Physical Activity Programming–1700 CrimFit Adult Training Program

Participants–Provided organized physical activity for

2,766 kids in 2013-2014• 37% of students achieved 60 minutes of

physical activity for 5 days each week• 59% increased their level of physical activity

Page 4: Community Collaboration and Promotion

What Are We Doing Today?

• Nutrition Education–FoodCorps and Nutrition Educators • All Flint schools• Dozens of county schools• Teaching kids to grow and harvest food,

make healthy eating choices

Page 5: Community Collaboration and Promotion

What Are We Doing Today?

• Mindfulness–1064 students reached• Teacher instruction programs• Direct work with students

–Helps 82% of kids focus in class–Helps 74% calm down when upset–Helps 82% make better decisions

Page 6: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Why did the Crim go from this…

Page 7: Community Collaboration and Promotion

…To This??

Page 8: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Evolving Needs in the Community

• In Flint and Genesee County:–36% of adults are obese –63% are reported as either overweight

or obese–Genesee County consistently at the

bottom of statewide health rankings

Page 9: Community Collaboration and Promotion

HOW did we get here today…

…when we started back in 1977 with…

Page 10: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Started at Unique Time ,In a Unique Place

• 1977: the year of a boom in new road races that are iconic today– Marine Corps Marathon, River Bank Run,

Boilermaker (1978)• Flint: a little version of Detroit– Affluent blue collar town that had reached its

peak (without exactly knowing it at the time)– One industry, one company

Page 11: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Keys to the Crim’s Success

• Partnerships across entire community helped the race happen– Community groups• Kiwanis, churches, etc.

– Special Olympics– Local businesses– Political leaders– City officials

Page 12: Community Collaboration and Promotion

A Growing Race

• Started as an event for “serious” runners– Chance to see top athletes compete

• Transitioned from spectator event to participant event

• Captured the community’s spirit– Added shorter races and kid events

• Numbers reached ~15,000 by the late 80’s

Page 13: Community Collaboration and Promotion

An Evolving Community

A Familiar American Story:

• Urban Disinvestment• Increasing Crime• Declining Schools• Declining Health

Page 14: Community Collaboration and Promotion

An Evolving Organization

• Crim board realized they could do something about what was happening

• Fundamental belief that individual health is most essential building block to having a good quality of life

• Focus on helping people be healthier through physical activity, nutrition, and mindfulness

Page 15: Community Collaboration and Promotion

CrimFit Training Program –Overview

• One of the Crim’s first programs focused on promoting health & wellness

• Started as one time program to get runners ready for 10 Mile

• Run/Walk method

Page 16: Community Collaboration and Promotion

CrimFit Training Program –Then and Now

• Over 20 years• 150-200 runners in first year• This year, over 1,700 runners and walkers

(largest ever)• Groups for runners AND walkers training for

Crim 10 Mile, 8K, 5K, and 1 Mile• Programs established at local universities,

community churches, & fitness centers

Page 17: Community Collaboration and Promotion

CrimFit Training Program –Newcomers and Veterans

• Mix of first time road racers and Training Program regulars

• Success mix of proven training methods and strong social support network

• Focus is on enjoying being active• Changing physical activity from a decision to a

habit

Page 18: Community Collaboration and Promotion

CrimFit Training Program –Engaging the Community

• Despite city’s large African American community, area running community mostly white, middle class women in their 30’s to 50’s

• Crim recognized need to make our running community closer reflect demographics of entire community

Page 19: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Flint Community Training Program

• Traditional CrimFit Training Program barriers (financial and transportation)

• Partner w/ private & foundation funders to offset cost

• Partner w/ area churches, schools, & community organizations to create neighborhood running/walking clubs

Page 20: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Flint Community Training Program –The Benefits

• Pre and post health assessments show significant improvement in major health indicators

• Increase in number of local residents participating in Crim races

• Enhanced community interaction

Page 21: Community Collaboration and Promotion

CrimFit Training Program –Major Takeaways

• Making physical activity a habit• Training safely and having fun doing it• Creating Crim advocates• Engaging the community• Transforming race into yearlong concept

Page 22: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Success > Vision > Action

• CrimFit Training Program the first step• In 2005, the Crim Fitness Foundation was

created• Expanding programs to youth a major focus• Partnerships key to success– Finding organizations with shared missions– Sharing credit– Taking away “turf” issues to bring organizations

together to focus on shared goals

Page 23: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Focus on Greater Mission

Guiding belief:– Individual health is the most essential

building block to having a good quality of life

Key competency:–Helping people be healthier through

physical activity, nutrition, and mindfulness

Page 24: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Take Baby Steps

• Identify compelling needs in the community you serve

• Start simple and small – focus on what you’re good at first

• Tie it to your race’s successes• Build relationships with key partners before

going in– Funders– Service sites

Page 25: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Build Credibility

• Accomplish what you say you’re going to do• Share credit• Tie to brand that you’ve already built• Ways to do things effectively and cost-efficiently– National Service – AmeriCorps, FoodCorps

Page 26: Community Collaboration and Promotion

The Crim Today: Doubling Down on Flint

• Leading community education revitalization• Flint Water: a health and wellness crisis• I Crim for Flint!• Leveraging our brand and partnerships

Page 27: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Key Takeaways

• Much of what we do is unique to Flint• Much of what we do is replicable– Identify compelling needs unique to your

community and develop a mission around addressing those challenges

– Identify ways to be a part of the solution that align with what you already do

– Use your brand to build credibility and excitement

Page 28: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Key Takeaways

• Expand existing partnerships • Leverage existing partnerships to build new

ones– Funders– Service sites

Page 29: Community Collaboration and Promotion

Thank you!

• Questions? – Andy Younger, Race Director

[email protected]

– Joe Dimambro, Assistant Race [email protected]