Success StoryCreating opportunities for a Healthy Environment



Creating opportunities for a Healthy Environment

Author: Amanda Dame

Planning Unit: Hopkins County CES

Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General

Plan of Work: Improving Basic Lifeskills, Well-being, and Quality of Life

Outcome: Initial Outcome

Creating an environment for families to spend time together, move more, and read was the overall goal for the Hopkins County StoryWalk. The Hopkins County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent was a member of the Leadership Hopkins County group who created the first StoryWalk in Hopkins County. StoryWalk is a national program, started by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont. Pages of the chosen book are laminated and placed into a real-estate sign. Each sign is staged around 10 to 12 feet apart along a walking path that leads to the next page of the book. The StoryWalk launched in March of 2023 in collaboration with Mahr Park Star Party. A program geared toward teaching participants about space and the solar system. The first storywalk book was “Rylee the Rocketeer” written by Joann M. Dickinson.  The group collected donations from around the community to place inside a bag for each child who attended the launch event. Also, inside the bags was a copy of the book displayed at the Storywalk. The Hopkins County StoryWalk was designed to be mobile which will create more opportunities for the community to utilize the StoryWalk display. The Hopkins County Leadership Group will organize the StoryWalk display for 6 months. After six months the Hopkins County Madisonville Public Library will take of the project and continue to provide the program across Hopkins County. Since the launch, the Storywalk has featured "The Fuzzy Duckling" by Jane Werner Watson at Madisonville City Park. The signs were also used by the Woman's Club of Madisonville for a mental health walk during the month of May.  






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