Published: September 26, 2009 11:27 pm      

Wellness Coalition links healthy lifestyles, economic success

CUMBERLAND — Wellness and economic development. Not quite two words you hear used together often, but city Economic Development Coordinator Brenda Smith and members of the up-and-coming Community Wellness Coalition are teaming up to try to make Cumberland a top city for wellness and relaxation.

Amy Schwab Owens, co-owner of Life Fitness Management in LaVale, said wellness isn’t just lifestyle issues but economic development issues as well.

“To have a community that embraces health and wellness elevates the health and vitality of a community and makes it a more desirable place for people to live and improves the lives of those currently living here,” Owens said. “Also, when you create a community that embraces wellness you make a more desirable place for people to want to come to; to live, visit and invest in in terms of business. Employers want healthy employees.”

Owens said the Cumberland area is prime for a healthy lifestyle and also a great potential for economic development when looking at the resources available. “For us, we have a wonderful work force, low cost of living and great quality of life, but one of the things we have that’s particularly unique to this area, and something you can’t buy, is the scenery and the availability for a healthy lifestyle,” she said. “A lot of times, people see a simpler way of life as kind of old-fashioned, but we are trying to use this phrase to promote our area in the way of a healthier, less stressful way of life.”

One opportunity for a healthier, simpler life is through economic development.

“(Amy and I met) and brainstormed ideas specifically looking for opportunities that would promote healthier lifestyles while supporting our local producers (farms) and economy (restaurants),” Smith said. “A modeling tool for us is Denver’s ‘Fit for Business.’ We have many of the same amenities — biking, hiking, camping, fishing, golfing, skiing — but many people don’t know where to go or what to do. We also discussed a ‘farm-to-fork’ approach that has proven successful in other communities where local entities are tied together — local restaurants buying from local producers and encouraging residents to eat local.”

Smith has been a participant in the Community Wellness Coalition since its inception earlier this year.

The group has hit the ground running with the award of a Community Development Block Grant to put together a wellness festival for the under-served population and also compose a wellness resource directory.

“I think we have a wellness community and destination and part of the objective of the coalition is to inventory all of those assets and resources we have and, hopefully, raise the awareness both of our community here and people who travel here as to what we have to enhance their well-being,” said member Marion Leonard. “Yes, we are at the founding stages and though we have been meeting we’ve only really addressed the short-term things such as the festival, but now we’re looking at long-term aspects.”

Leonard said the seeds for this coalition were planted many years ago, but until December, all of the like-minded people hadn’t come together. The first obstacle the group had to overcome was creating trust, healthy group process and open communication with both science and philosophical methods of health being represented, she said.

After much discussion, the coalition created a steering committee and subcommittees to handle the tasks of getting grant money, organizing the festival, working on a Web site and forming a board of directors.

Leonard said it’s exciting to see people from all over the health industry coming together and putting their hearts and souls into seeing this coalition come to fruition and be successful.

“To me, it’s like John Steinbeck’s ‘The Pearl,’ where a man traveled so long and all over the world looking for this pearl which was in his backyard all along,” she said. “That’s how I feel about our community, the pearl is right here. Often we don’t see this and we go looking outside the community, but it’s right here; all we need to do is look out the window.”

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.