Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida is happy to announce Gulf Coast Charter Academy South (GCCAS) has become the first Blue Zones Project Approved school in SWFL while its preschool, FORZA Child Development Center, earned Blue Zones Project Recognition.

Both schools are demonstrating their commitment to helping students and staff achieve even healthier lifestyles. GCCAS, a K-8 STEM Charter School, promotes more water consumption and participates in morning walks with students. They give children 20 minutes of recess daily and created a Blue Zones Project Youth Leadership Group to identify and implement creative ways to improve student well-being. FORZA Child Development Center hosts weekly Moais® with parents, children and staff members called “Watch and Walk Wednesdays.” They are also planting and maintaining a school garden.

At their combined ribbon cutting ceremony on April 15, the entire student body regaled the audience with chants, cheers and boisterous applause before and after the ribbon was cut, helping us welcome Gulf Coast Charter Academy South and FORZA to the Blue Zones Project. Congratulations!

In addition to GCCAS, four pilot schools from Collier County Public Schools also became Blue Zones Project Approved Schools. The ribbon cutting ceremonies for Lake Park Elementary, Sea Gate Elementary, Gulfview Middle and Naples High School were held on April 27.

Lake Park Elementary already had morning walks for 4th and 5th graders, as they were encouraged to be active instead of sitting and waiting for their day to start. Blue Zones “Panther Fitness” morning walks were created for 1st-3rd grades where all children can also enjoy a free “Grab and Go” breakfast or choose from a variety of fresh fruit.

Sea Gate Elementary began a morning walk program called “Walking Wednesdays” for 5th grade. They started out with six students and, in a few weeks, have grown to 30 students. Next year they plan to expand the program to include 4th grade.

Naples High School did not have a garden, so they decided to plant one. It is being used by several classes, as well as by the school’s Youth Relations Deputy and several of his students.

Sea Gate Elementary, Gulfview Middle, and Naples High School have also been increasing water consumption through the use of digital water fountains. Students have saved 9,130 water bottles from landfills.

Congratulations to all five of our Blue Zones Project Approved schools!

The newest Blue Zones Project Approved restaurant is the Dock at Crayton Cove. This restaurant is hardly new, it’s been a Naples landmark for more than 40 years, loved by locals and visitors alike. The Dock sits right on Naples Bay and patrons love the restaurant’s great food, friendly service and world-class location. The Dock at Crayton Cove has always offered a wide selection of seafood specialties, ribs and steaks and now they also offer four plant-based entrees on their new Blue Zones Project Inspired Menu. They even have a plant-based entrée on their Kid’s Menu!

Owner, Vin DePasquale, has been a Blue Zones Project supporter from day one and Executive Chef, Corey Heath, was eager to bring new plant-based dishes to the menu. General Manager, Jacci Jones, shared the Blue Zones Project story with her team and got their buy-in and support. They scored more points than required to earn approval and they are really pleased with the results. Sales of the Blue Zones Project inspired dishes have exceeded expectations and they are getting a lot of positive comments from their guests. As Vin says, "we took nothing away from our already extensive menu, we just added to it." Their goal is to make the healthy choice easier for existing customers and to attract new ones.

Next time you’re at The Dock at Crayton Cove, be sure to sit out on the Cove Terrace and try a dish from the Blue Zones menu. There’s a “Bamboo Steamer Basket”, an “Island in Banana Leaf, a “Mediterranean”, and a “Home Style Vegetable Stew”.

Volunteer with Purpose

NCH Healthcare System and United Way of Collier County A Volunteer Fair was hosted by the on April 12, 2016, as part of their Blue Zones Project work. NCH employees want to achieve 3,000 volunteer hours this year, so the United Way of Collier County was asked to bring agencies that are looking for volunteers. This first-ever Volunteer Fair was open to the public and NCH employees, with more than 48 different non-profit agencies set up displays at the fair. Prospective volunteers were encouraged to visit with at least five agencies to learn more about their mission in an effort to determine if they might be interested in serving as a volunteer.

Why does volunteering matter? Companies that promote active corporate volunteer programs enjoy greater employee satisfaction, higher morale, and, as a result, greater productivity and profitability. As highlighted in a recent report issued by Realized Worth, “for companies where employees were more engaged than not, their profitability jumped by 16 percent, general productivity was 18 percent higher than other companies, customer loyalty was 12 percent higher and quality increased by 60 percent.” This is even more amazing when contrasted with the estimated $350 billion disengaged employees cost their employers every year in the United States alone (according to a 2002 Gallup Poll). The 2016 figure is likely much higher.

The goal for each Blue Zones Community is to initiate at least one “marquee” project to support healthy lifestyles through the built-environment.  

We are excited to announce that Naples is the first community in Southwest Florida to have a Blue Zones marquee project! The Central Avenue Improvements Project held a groundbreaking on April 7. The Project is a well-designed plan that has been in the works for many years. The improvements reflect a “complete streets” design that considers all mobility forms, public safety, stormwater and street beautification. The Central Avenue Project is an excellent example of what Blue Zones hopes to help initiate in all communities, and hence became our first marquee. We truly appreciate the City Council, the staff, and engineers for all their hard work and effort into making Naples a safer and healthier community!

In the month of April we had many Home Owners Associations and other organizations becoming Blue Zones Project Recognized, congratulations to the following HOA’s and organizations for helping to make the healthy choice the easy choice for generations to come in Southwest Florida.

Wyndemere Country Club was named a Blue Zones Project recognized organization. Wyndemere Country Club became the first Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite in SW Florida back in January.

"It has proven to be an extremely gratifying process that all the employees and a majority of the members are embracing. We have seen many success stories which have are truly inspiring! It is a new culture that is becoming contagious as we lead the way in this program, and I sincerely hope that more clubs and communities will continue to follow and get involved. I want to thank the amazing team at the Blue Zones Project and my own Wyndemere Ambassadors for all their help and support throughout the entire process. The program is all about making healthy choices easier combined with social opportunities to ensure members and employees are staying connected, feeling loved and being active!" said Jimmy Lynn, Wyndemere’s general manager.

Vanderbilt Country Club became the first bundled community in Southwest Florida to be named a Blue Zones Project Recognized Organization, demonstrating its commitment to helping Southwest Florida residents achieve even healthier lifestyles.

To earn this designation, Vanderbilt Country Club added new bike racks in its common areas, established Wlking Moais and worked with its chef to offer healthier meals. The club has also scheduled a Blue Zones Project inspired Purpose Workshop to assist members in rediscovering their passion and purpose.

“Our Blue Zones Project committee recognizes that the world we create for ourselves has an impact on maintaining a positive approach to how we live our lives, spend our time, and interact with others in our community,” said Dr. Jerry Petrarca, Vanderbilt Country Club, Inc. board president. “We can live better, healthier and longer through improved lifestyle choices. As part of Blue Zones Project, Vanderbilt Country Club will help make healthy choices easier for the people we serve."

Tavira Bonita Bay, a luxury high-rise residence, became the first community in Bonita Springs to be named a Blue Zones Project recognized organization.

Tavira is a close-knit high-rise community with activities that encourage friendships, support and engagement. Residents participate in Tavira Cares, a volunteer program offering short-term support to neighbors in need by providing meals, walking pets, picking up prescriptions, and providing transportation to and from doctor’s appointments.

Tavira also established a ladies’ book club with more than 25 participants, mahjong groups of more than 30 participants, and a social bridge group. An active social committee provides large, catered gatherings with entertainment and monthly informal rooftop socials. In addition, a group of Tavira women recently formed Nautilus Women’s Network, which organizes speakers on a myriad topics that support and enrich overall well-being, including nutrition, health issues, and meditation.
“Blue Zones Project is a natural fit for us and will enhance the numerous initiatives already in place,” said Tavira resident and Blue Zones Project committee chair Cris Hayes. “We’re already a very health conscious community with many walkers and bikers, and we have an active social committee sponsoring healthy living programs. Our owners are proud to be in on the ground floor of this exciting opportunity.”

United Way of Collier County became the first non-profit in Southwest Florida to become Blue Zones Project Recognized. “United Way of Collier County invests in the building blocks of a good quality of life; health, education, and safety-net services. The Blue Zones Project focus on increasing the health of those in our community through encouraging preventative care and healthy lifestyle choices beautifully complements our core building blocks. Beyond investing in these building blocks, our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community. Volunteerism is the key area of intersection between our mission and the Blue Zone Project. The Blue Zone research has shown that people live longer, happier lives when they are fulfilling their purpose. We run a volunteer center to connect residents of Collier County to purposeful, meaningful volunteering opportunities with our local non-profits. Since we share common goals with the Blue Zones we are pleased to partner with them and to become a Blue Zones Recognized Employer,” said Steve Sanderson, United Way of Collier County president and CEO.

Strand Sisters at The Club at The Strand became the first Blue Zones Project Recognized Women Organization in Southwest Florida. Strand Sisters was formed one year ago. Our mission was simple: we are a Social organization dedicated to making friendships, providing avenues for the members’ interests, & promoting community spirit. Over the last year we have seen many positive changes in our interactions with each other. We have truly become like a family. When we heard about Blue Zones Project, it just seemed to fit nicely with our goals. In fact, when Dr. Weiss came to speak to us, he kept commenting on how much we were already doing that was part of the Blue Zones way of life. We are so pleased to be able to incorporate Blue Zones into our organization," said Kimberly Ford, Strand Sisters marketing director.

Strand Sisters plan to implement, plant based cooking classes, purpose workshops, and lots of Blues Zones info at their luncheons, in their newsletters and on their Facebook page.