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Point Pleasant Bike Rodeo is not only educating youth on how to make bicycling safer, it's also increasing the utilization of their beautiful Main Street.
Our Health Crisis
Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
West Virginia has abysmal statistics in the health and wellness of its citizens, with an increasing number having chronic health issues from diabetes to heart disease. One in five WV fifth graders already have high blood pressure, and one in four had abnormal cholesterol levels, the WV Cardiac Project reports.
According to the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources, the second leading cause of death is cancer, which is fueled by 26 percent of the population who consume tobacco. West Virginia leads the nation in pregnant mothers who consume tobacco. Currently, this generation of young people is projected to not live as long as their parents due to chronic obesity issues, which are preventable. A legislative study found that in West Virginia, 7 in 10 of our health dollars are spent on diseases that could have been prevented. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that by 2050 the prevalence and cost of these diseases will double if action is not taken immediately. West Virginia needs to take an aggressive effort to curb these issues now.
In fact, the CDC released the 2017 state and territory-specific maps on adult obesity prevalence from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The prevalence of self-reported obesity among adults in West Virginia has risen from 37.7% in 2016 to 38.1% in 2017. Obviously, our project still has much work to do.
Director Wright is excited to get moving on a volunteer drawn hopscotch. The sidewalks throughout the campus, at the annual conference, were decorated with ways to get physically active, self-care mantras, and the importance of healthy foods.
Our Purpose
The Try This WV’s overarching purpose is to curb the health crisis here in West Virginia – by training, educating, uniting, and funding teams of everyday leaders to tackle the problems. Through the integration of community members from various outlets/organizations and ordinary community leaders, Try This will provide training, coaching, and assistance for mini-grant teams to bring about a healthy lifestyles project (i.e. walking trails, and community gardens).
Our Main Street Impact
With 261 mini-grants and 11 second stage grants awarded in the past five years, many of those projects have been located on Main Streets across the state. Even if they aren’t located on a Main Street – a growing number are close by and are positively impacting the perceptions, traffic to local businesses, and overall economic development of their local communities. On average, within the first 12 months, every dollar we give our mini-grants are turned into $11 dollars - that’s an ROI of 11:1!
In lots, if not all cases, the work being done by these community teams serve as economic development for our state. For instance, we have two community teams in Lincoln and Kanawha Counties who are second stage grant recipients through Try This WV. They are tackling large projects for a larger economic development impact. Cafe Appalachia in South Charleston is a "a pay what you can” farm to table, lunch buffet, and coffee house that serves the general public and provides job training for a hand up—and not a hand out. The second stage grant program awards between $5,000 and $15,000 per grantee and allows for projects like Cafe Appalachia to blossom. This grant can help us grow our second stage program.
Having fun and spending time outdoors is a crucial part of the Try This annual conference.
Our Annual Conference
West Virginia needs more community gardens, walking trails, and farmers markets. But just as much, we need local teams of leaders (not just doctors and public health professionals) to start taking ownership of our community's health over the long-term. Try This WV meets both of those needs. We are also working to bridge those gaps between doctors and local leaders.
In 2017, we held our first Healthcare Professional’s Day, a daylong conference on the Thursday before our annual conference. Around 70 of those healthcare providers stayed for the Try This Conference and helped begin the conversations that need to happen between local leaders and healthcare professionals. We are excited to host the Healthcare Professional’s Day again this year for the 2019 conference on June 6, followed by the annual conference June 7-8. This is an annual 550+ person conference that brings our website to life with over 40 practical, how-to workshops and more than 130 terrific presenters from all over the state. Make sure to visit www.trythiswv.com today – it is a stunning website that offers how-to advice, real-life West Virginia models , and over 100 affordable ways communities can create healthy-community projects and complete long-range healthy lifestyle planning.
Our Next Steps
While we have begun to see real change and action taking place within our state, there is still more to be done. Groups struggle with sustainability and Try This WV is helping them through the process. Culture change is time consuming and a long process, but we are beginning to see people become more engaged within their communities and have this conversation about healthy lifestyles.
Giving Others Hope
“I think the biggest takeaway from the conference is the mantra that was repeated throughout the weekend ‘It’s up to us,” says Emily Eddy, an MPH student in occupational and environmental health sciences. “It is truly up to each and every one of us to initiate positive change in our communities.”
Emily was just one of the many that began to see themselves as a part of the solution. But we needed the data to see if we were truly changing perceptions. Therefore, we partnered with West Virginia University to evaluate the Try This model and these are our preliminary findings:
- 88% of participants agreed Try This has caused people to collaborate on community projects.
- 82% believe that Try This has increased their belief that West Virginians can knock themselves off worst health lists.
- 81% of participants are more hopeful about the possibilities of change.
Art used as a vehicle for physical activity (trails with permanent hopscotch designs, art murals featuring physical activity, and art sculptures made from bicycles) was a unique way of promoting art, physical activity, and beautifying city streets at the Beckley Rail Trail.
Our Funders
Lastly, during the past five years, Try This has been funded by: The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, WV Office of Child Nutrition, WV Bureau of Public Health, Unicare Health Plan of WV, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, The Highmark Foundation, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Appalachian Regional Commission, Generous Promise Grant, The Bernard McDonough Foundation, American Heart Association, WVU Rural Health Initiative, WVU Health Sciences Center, WV Development Office, Flex-E Grant Program, Appalachia Funders Network, plus the Try This conference registration dollars and sponsorship dollars.
We could not make this work happen without the countless volunteer hours from our partners and community members. In fact, at our conference, West Virginia Wesleyan College donated space and facilities for all five of our conferences (2014-2018). An average of 121 conference presenters from more than 40 organizations and institutions donate time and expertise each year.
Try This can accomplish an enormous amount with the dollars that are contributed, and these funds are leveraged to create more positive outcomes for WV communities. If you would like to donate, please visit our fiscal agent’s page.
About the author:
Kayla Wright is the Director of Try This West Virginia. Try This has birthed an award-winning how-to website and Facebook community, three successful policy campaigns, 258 rural community health projects, 13 regional or statewide collaborations (Healthy Bodies, Healthy Spirits; Mindfulness WV; etc.), and trained more than 2,500 citizen leaders to take action in their communities.
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HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: First Round Recipient Spotlights
These 67 recipients from across the country ranged from bakeries and boutiques to salons and museums, but they all shared a commitment to the program's goals of responding and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and helping to revitalize and strengthen older and historic downtown commercial districts.
New Research from Brookings and the National Main Street Center on the Value of Main Street Organizations
The Brookings Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking released a new series of research briefs focused on the role that place governance organizations, like Main Street programs, play in revitalizing rural downtowns and promoting equitable rural economic and community development.
Congratulations to the 2020 MSARP Recipients!
Meet the latest graduates of our certificate program for leaders in commercial district revitalization.
Main Spotlight: Developing a Toolbox to Help Manage Growth on Main Street
Georgetown has developed a strong Downtown Master Plan that helps serve as a guide-point for planning efforts in downtown
Announcing the 2020 Mary Means Leadership Award Recipient
Meet Sharon Jablonski, the Director of Morganton Main Street in Morganton, North Carolina, and the first recipient of the Mary Means Leadership Award.
Announcing the 2020 Great American Main Street Award Winners
Congratulations to these Main Street programs for their fantastic work!
Community Spotlight: Missouri Main Street Connection Leads the Iowa Community Expedition
Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) had the opportunity to take Missouri Executive Directors and other community representatives on the Iowa Community Expedition
District Spotlight: Pontiac, Michigan
In response, UrbanMain and Main Street Oakland County joined forces in March 2018 to assist Pontiac stakeholders in putting their downtown organization back on a positive track, making Pontiac the first community in Michigan to participate in the UrbanMain initiative.
2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Winning Sites
American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America announced the winners of the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign.
2018 Community Transformation Workshop Recap
An essential component of the Main Street America Institute, the three-day in-person workshop gives participants hands-on tools to enact revitalization projects in their communities.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hampton
Main Street Hampton hosted a Food and Friends Farm-to-Table dinner at the Rustic Brew during Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week.
Community Spotlight: Partners in Preservation 2018
From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
7 Ways To Bring Your Main Street On Screen
You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
Comcast Newsmakers: Revitalizing Downtown
Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center's Vice President of Revitalization Programs, discusses competitive advantages, incrementalism and the power of the Main Street America network
Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Independent We Stand Makes Main Streets a Priority
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
