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

Youth Planning Workshop

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Every Wednesday in June, the Working on Wellness Environments team hosted a virtual youth planning workshop. The workshop included 9 youth from Webb and Zapata county. The workshop sought to ignite youth-led projects in both counties that increased physical activity levels, healthy environments, and connectivity to everyday places. Each webinar provided the opportunity for youth to identify ways to make healthy changes in their community.

Throughout the webinars, participants defined PSE and its role in transforming communities and learned about creating walkable communities and healthy environments. Participants also completed a brief ease-impact where they identified meaningful ways to complete their assessments. The youth involved were able to meet with experts in the field who showcased their work in creating healthy environments. These instructors’ presentations included using secondary data, intercept surveys, site inventory importance, CPTED, and counting when making community changes. Participants also had a chance to listen to another successful youth group that had reclaimed their park. At the final workshop, participants were able to discuss potential projects they could do in their local communities moving forward.

Rise & Grind Zapata Challenge

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Zapata County Health Agent, Sammy Luera hosted the Rise & Grind Bike Challenge in Zapata county. Local participants were encouraged to ride their bikes to local coffee shops in the area. The Working on Wellness Environments team supported this effort by providing an online community assessment. The assessment created was used to assess the local environment for walkability and bikeability. Information gathered will be used to help guide local programming, outreach, and planning efforts. Those who participated were able to inform the WOW-E program about their perceptions of biking and walking in Zapata county.

PeopleForBikes Grant Opportunity

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The PeopleForBikes Community Grant Program supports bicycle infrastructure projects and targeted advocacy initiatives that make it easier and safer for people of all ages and abilities to ride.

PeopleForBikes accepts grant applications from non-profit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation or community development; from city or county agencies or departments and from state or federal agencies working locally. PeopleForBikes only funds projects in the United States. Requests must support a specific project or program – we do not grant funds for general operating costs.

PeopleForBikes focuses on most grant funds on bicycle infrastracture projects, such as:

  • Bike paths, lanes, trails and bridges
  • Mountain bike facilities
  • Bike parks and pump tracks
  • BMX facilities
  • End-of-trip facilities such as bike racks, bike parking, bike repair stations and bike storage

In addition, PeopleForBikes also fund some advocacy projects such as

  • Programs that transform city streets, such as Ciclovias or Open Streets Days
  • Campaigns to increase investment in bicycle infrastracture

PeopleForBikes will fund engineering and design work, construction costs including materials, labor and equipment rental and reasonable volunteer support costs. For advocacy projects, we will fund staffing that is directly related to accomplishing the goals of the initiative.

Application is due July 23, 2021. Find the grant opportunity here!

Explore the Grants Finder to see successful grants from past cycles.

T-Mobile Hometown Grant

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In a unique partnership focused on bringing vital connections to rural America, Smart Growth America is helping T-Mobile give one small community a prize package worth $3 million as well as millions in smaller grants for hundreds of other rural and small-town communities to reinvest in their downtowns, improve their quality of life, become more resilient, and improve their connections.

With a track record of providing scores of smaller towns a roadmap for achieving economic vibrancy over the years, Smart Growth Amerca will be helping the winner of the $3 million Hometown Tech over develop and implement a plan to enrich the town’s development – such as a place-based economic development plan, the restoration of a neglected downtown square, infrastructure improvements in a historic neighborhood, or investments in a community center.

Anyone can enter the contest at T-MobileHometownTechover.com before it closes on Friday, May 7, 2021. Just upload a photo or video of your town and tell T-Mobile what makes it special.

In addition to the big prize, T-Mobile will also be giving away $25 million to small communities over the next five years through hundreds of smaller Hometown Grants for all types of catalytic projects. If you are a local leader of almost any kind, nominate your town for a Hometown Grant here. The current round of applications is open from April to June, with winning towns announced in July.

Please let us know if you have any questions!

Early Childhood Educator Training Program – May 22, 2021

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The Working on Wellness Environments Program and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension are offering an Early Childcare online conference May 22nd from 9am to 12pm on Zoom. This special event will focus on Obesity Prevention Standards and Strategies: Overview of New Texas Minimum Standards and How to Meet (and Exceed!).

The cost to register is free (sponsored by WOW-E) but spot availability is prioritized to ECE’s located in Starr, Webb, Maverick, Zapata, and Hudspeth counties. The conference will review the updated Texas ECE standards for nutrition and physical activity and discuss best practices for implementing policies to support these standards. The mini-conference will be held on May 22nd, 2021 from 9am-12pm CT via Microsoft Teams. Clock hours will be available for attendees.

Registration link: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/Childhood