Communities asked to submit entries for healthy activities map

Is your healthy community asset on the Interactive Map of Healthy Activities? The Rapides Foundation wants to know.

The map lists free fitness and nutrition community assets such as walking trails, playgrounds, fitness stations, community gardens, farmers markets and local producers located in the Foundation’s nine-parish service area of Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon and Winn.

The map is intended to make it easier for Central Louisiana individuals and families to get healthy. Visitors to the map can click through to find healthy things to do and eat throughout the region.

The Rapides Foundation is asking for help to make sure the entries are up to date. “We want to make sure our map stays up to date so that local residents, as well as visitors to the community, can use it anytime to maintain their health,” said Annette Beuchler, Director of Programs and Communications for The Rapides Foundation.

The entries must be located in Central Louisiana and open free to the public. The map lists six categories: farmers markets that offer a wide variety of local food, usually open at various times; public walking trails; playgrounds that can be used by the public; fitness stations, which are typically located at or near walking trails; community gardens, which are managed and accessed by local communities; and Fresh Central producers, which consists of farmers who grow, produce or direct market their fresh fruits, vegetables and meats in Central Louisiana.

If your community asset is not listed, or if some of the information needs to be updated, please contact The Rapides Foundation at 318-443-3394, toll-free at 800-994-3394 or email grantinfo@rapidesfoundation.org.

The Foundation will collect the following information for each entry:

• Contact information, including phone numbers and an email address associated with the site.
• Physical address for the site.
• Days and hours of operation
• Additional information that would be helpful for visitors to your site, such as whether playgrounds are handicapped accessible or types of crops planted and available at farmers markets and community gardens.