In recognition of the critical need for free, reliable health information in Fresno County, the national non-profit organization, Libraries for the Future (LFF), has awarded the Fresno County Public Library a grant of $25,000. The grant will allow for a full year of Fit for Life programming in 2009 to address physical and brain health with a special focus on pre-school and school age children, teens and their parents.

Fresno County is one of only 17 library systems across the nation to receive Fit for Life grants, made possible by the support of MetLife Foundation and overseen by Libraries for the Future (LFF). The Library applied for the competitive grant to promote lifelong health and wellness throughout Fresno County. Fit for Life will emphasize both physical health and the new field of “brain health,” using the five pillars of brain health that have emerged from the latest scientific research: diet, physical exercise, intellectual challenge, mental stimulation through new experiences, and socialization.

The program builds on an earlier campaign, Get Fit Fresno County, which was spearheaded by Supervisor Judy Case during her year as Board Chairperson in 2005. Get Fit Fresno County promoted healthy lifestyles through distribution of monthly fact sheets with tips on nutrition and physical activity in conjunction with a pedometer checkout program at the Library. Components of Get Fit Fresno County will also be incorporated into the Fit for Life program.

“We are delighted to participate in this cutting-edge program,” said Fresno County Librarian Karen Bosch Cobb. “Libraries have always been about healthy minds. This grant will significantly strengthen our existing health resources and programming. We can’t wait to show people how much more active they — and the Library — can be!”

The Library won its Fit for Life grant by proposing the “Healthy Body = Healthy Brain” program, which will incorporate the five pillars of brain health in Library and community partners’ programming, a public awareness campaign, and development and promotion of Library health collections and databases. The program will target underserved populations to improve Fresno County’s health literacy and assist in making the cultural shift to prevention over treatment. Highlights include creation of a kid-friendly toolkit featuring a “Healthy Kids Checklist,” printed and online publications promoting health resources in Fresno County; and a year-long calendar of free events.

“Public libraries play a growing role in filling the urgent need for free, reliable health information, especially at a time when so many people lack easy access to doctors and nurses,” said Bruce Astrein, executive director of LFF. “They already promote the building blocks of brain health by involving people of all ages in forums, conversations, the search for knowledge, computers, artwork, and dynamic programs.”

LFF requires each participating library to partner with at least five community organizations to expand possibilities for community outreach and activities. Fresno County Library partners are:

California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance

Children’s Hospital Central California

City of Fresno Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services

Clear Channel Radio

Community Food Bank

County of Fresno Department of Public Health

Fresno County Office of Education

Kaiser Permanente

Save Mart Supermarkets

University of California Cooperative Extension

Valley Public Television

Fit for Life is an enhanced follow-up to two earlier co-ventures between Libraries for the Future and MetLife Foundation. The original Fit for Life offered library-based fitness programming and promotion for teens and their families, while the pilot project, Get Real Get Fit, showed the power of libraries to involve teens in fitness programs that extend beyond library walls.