LiveWell Lawrence gives out $88,000 in grants for community health projects

The roar of conversation in the Eldridge Hotel Ballroom on Friday morning was especially loud for a 7:30 a.m. event.

But the crowd that gathered for the second annual LiveWell Lawrence Celebration Breakfast was an enthusiastic one, fueled by coffee and the opportunity to share a morning meal with other community health advocates.

LiveWell Lawrence celebrated its seventh anniversary by distributing more than $88,000 in grants to the community and awarding Culture of Health Action Awards to community members who have made a difference in Lawrence and Douglas County.

All told, 14 grants were awarded, for projects from a garden for every classroom at Hillcrest Elementary School to the addition of a salad bar in the cafeteria at St. John Catholic School.

The city of Lawrence received two grants related to bicycling. One grant will go toward installing four new bike repair stations at the Burroughs Creek Trail, The Levee Trail, the Rotary Arboretum and the Lawrence Public Library Plaza. The second will help increase bicycle parking and create three bike corrals in downtown Lawrence.

LiveWell also gave out six Culture of Health Action Awards, which recognize people and organizations that work toward the mission of LiveWell Lawrence: making it easier for Douglas County residents to eat healthfully, be physically active and live tobacco-free.

“The program today is really to highlight people who have been extraordinary pacesetters in this work,” said Eileen Horn, chair of the coalition.

The six recipients were the K-State Research & Extension; Nancy O’Connor from the Community Mercantile; Mike Myers, an architect with Hernly Associates; Lawrence Hy-Vee stores; Ola Faucher with KU Human Resources; and the city of Lawrence for its initiatives related to community health.

LiveWell Lawrence is a coalition of more than 160 community members and is coordinated by the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

Grant recipients

These groups received LiveWell Community Wellness Grants.

Bishop Seabury Academy — Garden beds and compost stalls for the school garden

City of Lawrence (two grants) — four bike repair stations and three bike corrals

Community Mercantile Education Foundation — garden beds for each classroom at Hillcrest Elementary School

Douglas County Housing, Inc. — composting education project for youth at Edgewood Homes

Eudora PTO — Outdoor Learning Center at Eudora Elementary School

Eudora Middle School — Read and Ride Program

Just Food — A commercial-size, glass-door refrigerator as well as additional cooking demonstrations

Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department Workplace Wellness Team — Containers to make infused water for employee break rooms

Lawrence Public Schools — barcode scanning tracking systems for 14 elementary school Marathon Clubs, and Walk and Talk programs at middle schools

Lawrence Schools Foundation –renovation of the Ryan Gray Playground for All Children.

Lawrence Unchained Bicycle Coop — a public bicycle repair stand in Eudora

Saint John Catholic School — salad bars in the St. John School cafeteria

The Sunrise Project — programming for children and youth centered on food and the environment