photo by: LiveWell Douglas County

LiveWell Douglas County

LiveWell Douglas County and the Douglas County Community Foundation will host a breakfast celebration and a discussion for community members to reflect on data about families with children facing financial hardships.

LiveWell Douglas County works to improve the health and well-being of all residents in the county, and the Douglas County Community Foundation, or DCCF, works to improve the quality of life in the county by connecting people and communities through charitable action. The organizations will be hosting a breakfast on Friday at 7:30 a.m. at Flory Meeting Hall, 2110 Harper St.

Following the breakfast will be an award ceremony for the Culture of Health Action Awards, which is given out to both coalition members and community partners whose efforts have aligned with LiveWell’s mission. DCCF will also announce the awardees for their community wellness grant.

There will be a “data walk” activity after the ceremonies, where community members can discuss, interpret and reflect on data that is specific to families with children struggling to afford basic necessities, such as safe and affordable housing, child care, nutritionally rich and affordable food and transportation.

A press release states that the data walk can offer real-world solutions to community issues by enhancing understanding through charts, tables and statistics. It combines data with personal experiences to reveal why policies, programs and services may not be meeting community needs. The process also creates a space for sharing stories and observations, while fostering collaboration with community members to drive meaningful change.

The “data walk” was organized by members from the Ballard Center, City of Lawrence, Community Children’s Center, Douglas County, Early Childhood Collective of Douglas County, Douglas County K-State Research & Extension, LiveWell Douglas County and United Way of Kaw Valley.

The organization encourages people to join the countywide effort to develop and implement action plans for one or more of the Community Health Improvement Plan areas, which was developed by Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health in October.