Working on Wellness Environments
Working on Wellness Environments (WOW-E) is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension multidisciplinary community development program

StoryWalk™

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by Anna Stehling & Norma Fultz

A mother and son read a page of the book “Dragons Love Tacos” together at the Miriam Vale StoryWalk™ kick-off.
StoryWalk™ is a site activation activity which encourages children and families to walk together while they read a children’s book. As part of a StoryWalk™, a children’s book is taken apart, and the pages are each secured to a sign that is placed along a designated walking path in the community, oftentimes in a park. A StoryWalk™ is a great option for anyone that is interested in activating a space in their community to promote physical activity.
A group of ballet dancers and other community members visit a StoryWalk™ event at Miriam Vale Park.
A StoryWalk™ program can be created with simple, affordable materials, and it can provide an opportunity and an environment to develop healthy daily habits. According to the CDC Active People Healthy Nation initiative, regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of at least 20 chronic diseases and conditions.
The Rio Grande City StoryWalk™ committee meeting to finalize their strategic plan for future StoryWalk™ efforts.
The process of creating a StoryWalk™ program includes but is not limited to: establishing a goal, identifying potential partners, obtaining permission and support from affected groups, creating a site plan, choosing books and display types, ordering materials, preparing and assembling the materials, installing the displays, and planning the feedback process. 
StoryWalk™ project partners celebrate at the kick-off of the StoryWalk™ pilot-test at Miriam Vale Park.
A local family visits the StoryWalk™ together at Miriam Vale Park.
A spread of pages from the first book to be showcased in Rio Grande City’s StoryWalk™ pilot-test program at Miriam Vale Park.
A local family enjoys the StoryWalk™ pilot-test even at night!
A group of sisters racing to read the next page of the book at the StoryWalk™ pilot-test at Miriam Vale Park.
A group of Girl Scouts visit the StoryWalk™ pilot-test kick-off in Rio Grande City at Miriam Vale Park.
A group of girls reading a book featured in the StoryWalk™ pilot-test at Basilio Villarreal Park in Rio Grande City.
Siblings read a page of the “Dragons Love Tacos” book featured at the StoryWalk pilot-test kick-off event at Miriam Vale Park.

Have a Happy (and Healthy) Halloween!

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By Dr. Jenna Anding

If you have been in the grocery store lately you probably have noticed that shelves are stocked with candy corn, sweet and sour treats, and bite-sized chocolate bars. This can only mean one thing – Halloween is coming!

According to the National Confectioners Association, 93% of Americans plan to celebrate this spooky day. Many organizations are getting into the Halloween spirit as well by having trunk or treat parties. Some offices encourage employees to wear their favorite Halloween costumes during the workday or take time to enjoy candy and other treats. This can help build camaraderie and get to know other coworkers you don’t always have a chance to work with.

Halloween may come once a year, but candy and other unhealthy foods are often available all year long says Jenna Anding, a registered dietitian and Extension specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. In fact, Statista research estimates that we eat, on average, nearly 12 pounds of candy, chocolate, ice cream and other sweets every year. That’s a lot of added sugar and calories that some of us just don’t need!

Photo from: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/how-to-have-a-healthy-halloween

If your organization or place of business wants to celebrate Halloween but in a healthy way, all is not lost says Anding. If the goal of the celebration is to blow off some steam or give people an opportunity to get to know one another outside of “work” consider these ideas:

  • Have a door, cubicle, or desk decorating contest.
  • Let employees wear their favorite costume contest and host a Halloween parade (make sure employees stay within the dress code policy if there is one)
  • Plan a Halloween-inspired potluck lunch. Include healthy options for those who are trying to stay within their calorie budget!
  • Host a lunch-and-learn pumpkin decorating class. Employees bring their lunch, you bring the pumpkins and tools and carve or paint away; either way allows employees to show their creativity.
  • Play Halloween-inspired music during the lunch hour. “There are lots of great tunes out there,” says Anding. Some of her favorite ones are:
    • Monster Mash (Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers)
    • Thriller (Michael Jackson)
    • I Put a Spell On You (Annie Lennox)
    • Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon)
    • Ghostbusters (Ray Parker, Jr.)
    • Time Warp (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
    • Somebody’s Watching (Rockwell)
    • I’m in Love with a Monster (5th Harmony, from Hotel Transylvania 2)
    • Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
    • She Wolf (Shakira)
  • Sponsor a clean-up event at a local park or host another type of volunteer activity. Fall weather is a time that outside temperatures start to fall (hopefully!). What a better way to give back to the community by giving employees time during the workday to pick up trash at a local park or volunteer to pack boxes of food at a local pantry.
Photo from: https://seasidesundays.com/healthiest-halloween-treats/

No matter how your office or business chooses to celebrate, be sure to offer options for those employees who are trying to adopt (and keep) a healthy lifestyle. For example, if you have Halloween candy out for people to take, consider offering some healthier options like bags of pretzels, popcorn, or small whole apples.

Happy Halloween from the Working on Wellness Environments Team!

USDA Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge

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The USDA Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge provides funding for planning support, technical assistance, or training to foster placemaking in rural communities. The USDA defines rural placemaking as a collaborative engagement process that helps leaders from rural communities create quality places where people will want to live, work, play and learn.

There is more information about who should apply, funding details, an application checklist, and more on USDA’s website. Click here to learn more and apply.

To read about previous recipients’ work, click here.

There will be a virtual General Office Hours event on August 3, 2022 with more information and a time to ask questions. Click here to register.

Apply for the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Maintenance Action Institute

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AgriLife Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design and Maintenance Action Institute photo collage.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a multidisciplinary approach to create spaces that aim to prevent crime, invite positive use, and make users feel safer.

Up to 65 local practitioners and advocates from Hudspeth, Maverick, Starr, Webb, and Zapata counties will be accepted to participate in the WOW-E CPTED and Maintenance Action Institute. Applicants can apply for travel assistance to the Action Institute through the WOW-E partnership with the Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS).Up to 65 local practitioners and advocates from Hudspeth, Maverick, Starr, Webb, and Zapata counties will be accepted to participate in the WOW-E CPTED and Maintenance Action Institute. Applicants can apply for travel assistance to the Action Institute through the WOW-E partnership with the Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS).  

Who Should Apply:

Park practitioners, public works practitioners, planners, local park and trail groups and advocates, law enforcement professionals, community leaders.  

At the Action Institute:

  • Learn CPTED principles to make safer, more usable public spaces in your community
  • Create a mini-plan for a public space in your community
  • Learn about topics such as: maintenance planning, traffic calming, community engagement, lighting, park site plan reviews, public art & safety and more!

Join us in McAllen, TX at the LaQuinta McAllen Convention Center:

  • Tuesday, August 23, 2022, 10 am – 6 pm
  • Wednesday, August 24, 2022, 9 am – 5 pm
  • Thursday, August 26, 2022, 9 am – 4 pm

*Note: Attendees must attend all three days of the Action Institute, all day.

Click here to apply.

DOT Reconnecting Communities Grant Program – Open Now! / Oportunidad de financiamiento – Reconectar Comunidades

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DOT is now accepting applications for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) discretionary grant program. DOT will host an “Interested in Applying?” webinar for prospective applicants on Thursday, July 14 from 12:00 to 1:30 PM EDT (register here).  

The $1 billion RCP Program was established under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in keeping with the Biden-Harris Administration’s belief that the promise of our nation is that every American has an equal chance to get ahead. It is the first-ever program to help reconnect communities previously cut off from opportunities by transportation infrastructure, such as highways and rail lines, through solutions like high-quality public transportation, infrastructure removal, and main street revitalization. 

In Fiscal Year 2022 (that’s now!), the RCP Program provides up to $195 million for public engagement, planning activities, capital construction projects, and technical assistance to reconnect communities where transportation infrastructure has created barriers. 

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) 

Visit the RCP Program website to access the NOFO and learn about eligibility, funding, application and submission processes, and evaluation criteria. The application submission deadline is Thursday, October 13, 2022. The RCP Program welcomes applications from diverse eligible applicants regardless of size, location, and experience administering Federal funding awards. 

Technical Assistance 

Webinars, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and other resources are available on the RCP Program website. A new DOT Navigator consolidates a wide range of existing DOT technical assistance resources to support prospective applicants. 

Contact Us 

Please email program staff at ReconnectingCommunities@dot.gov with questions on the available information. Staff will update FAQs on a regular basis to reflect the most up-to-date information on the RCP Program. 

Aviso de Oportunidad de financiamiento disponible para el Programa piloto Reconectando Comunidades   

DOT se complace en anunciar que se están aceptando solicitudes para el programa piloto de subvenciones discrecionales Reconectando Comunidades (RCP). DOT estará llevando a cabo un resumen del Programa RCP a través de un seminario web para posibles solicitantes el jueves, 14 de julio de las 12:00 a la 1:30 p. m., hora del este (EDT). La inscripción para el seminario web está disponible aquí.   

Este programa de mil millones de dólares fue establecido bajo la Ley de Infraestructura Bipartidista del presidente Biden, de acuerdo con la ideología de la administración Biden Harris de que la promesa de nuestra nación es que cada estadounidense tiene la misma oportunidad de salir adelante. Es el primer programa que ayuda a reconectar a las comunidades que antes no tenían oportunidades debido a la infraestructura de transporte como carreteras y vías férreas, a través de soluciones como transporte público de alta calidad, eliminación de infraestructura y revitalización de calles principales. 

  

En el Año Fiscal 2022 (que es ahora mismo), el programa provee hasta 195 millones de dólares en fondos disponibles para actividades de participación pública, actividades elegibles de planificación, proyectos de construcción de bienes capitales y asistencia técnica para reconectar comunidades que han sido separadas por la infraestructura del transporte. 

Aviso de oportunidad de financiamiento (NOFO) 

Por favor consulte el Sitio web de Reconectando Comunidades para acceder al Aviso de oportunidad de financiamiento (NOFO) y para obtener más información sobre los requisitos de elegibilidad para la subvención, fondos, disponibilidad, información sobre la solicitud y cómo presentarla, así como sobre los criterios de evaluación. La fecha límite para presentar la solicitud es el 13 de octubre de 2022. El Programa RCP acepta solicitudes de una gran diversidad de solicitantes elegibles independientemente de su tamaño, ubicación y experiencia en la administración de fondos federales adjudicados.  

  

Asistencia técnica 

En el sitio web se encuentran disponibles una serie de seminarios web, preguntas frecuentes (FAQ), y otros recursos sobre el programa, así como Avisos de oportunidad de financiamiento (NOFO). Un nuevo navegador DOT consolidará una amplia gama de recursos existentes del DOT.  

  

Contacte con nosotros 

Puede enviar un correo electrónico al personal del programa a ReconnectingCommunities@dot.gov con preguntas sobre la información disponible. El personal revisará las FAQ periódicamente para reflejar la información más actualizada sobre el programa RCP.