PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Let's Celebrate!
14 min read
April 2016 Highlights
Let's Celebrate
The 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 Southwest Florida. In addition to Gulf Coast Charter Academy, 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.
Please join us on Tuesday, May 10 at 4 p.m. at the Collier County Public School Board meeting to hear from the four pilot schools about the wonderful initiatives they implemented due to the Blue Zones Project. Please wear BLUE! The school board meeting will be at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Administrative Center 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples, FL 34109.
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Achieving Blue Zones Community® certification takes everyone’s support. Congratulations to the following organizations for becoming Blue Zones Project Approved™:
Schools
| 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! |
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| 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. |
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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. |
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| Gulfview Middle has athletes working out as early as 6:30 in the morning who were not eating breakfast because of not having time to get to the lunchroom. Their coaches wanted to expand the school’s free breakfast program to include them, so worked with the Nutrition Department to have grab and go breakfast carts delivered to the gym. Now more than 150 cross country and track runners, as well as basketball players, have a healthy breakfast before starting the school day. | |
| 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! |
Restaurants
| 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. |
Faith-Based Organizations
We are a week away from the Blue Zones Project Faith-Based Organization Summit on May 12 from 12 – 2:30 p.m., many faith-based leaders across the community will participate and learn how they can optimize their organization to support the well-being of their members. Please feel free to attend if you are interested to learn how your church, synagogue or faith-based organization can become Blue Zones Approved. Email bluezonesprojectsouthwestfl@healthways.com or call 239-624-2312 to RSVP for this great event!
Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month— no matter the denomination — can add up to seven years of life expectancy. As a faith-based organization, organizations can strengthen their members’ involvement and support their well-being by becoming a Blue Zones Project Approved™.
Just a few of the ideas that will be discussed during the Faith-Based Summit- Bike racks or active transportation to your services • Healthy snacks • Purpose Workshops (a free offering!) • Walking Groups
Built Environment
| 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! |
Individuals & Organizations
| 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. |
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| 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." |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
4 min read
BLUE ZONES PROJECT APPROVED IN SW FLORIDA as of 5/26/16
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| Grocery Stores Blue Zones Project is working with grocery stores throughout SW Florida to give customers more options to make healthier choices. Visit this Blue Zones Project Approved™ location and look for participating grocery stores in your neighborhood soon. |
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| Participating Organizations Preschools
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If you are interested in in having your worksite, restaurant, grocery store, or school work toward Blue Zones Project Approval, contact BlueZonesProjectSWFL@Healthways.com.
7 min read
March 2016 Highlights
YES, WE ARE NUMBER ONE!
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island leads the nation in well-being in Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index Community Rankings! We all should be proud of our first-place ranking, yet this survey also provides us with feedback on areas in which we can improve. In addition to great work many agencies do in our community, the numerous organizations and individuals involved in the Blue Zones Project SWFL are working collaboratively on the journey to sustain Southwest Florida’s economic vitality and community well-being for generations to come. Here is a great article from the Naples Daily News about these wonderful news.
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Achieving Blue Zones Community® certification takes everyone’s support. Congratulations to the following organizations for becoming Blue Zones Project Approved™:
Worksites
| Purpose Workshops are very popular with worksites. The City of Naples offered three of our regular Purpose Workshops to their employees, and an Introduction to Purpose Workshops for the Police Department, facilitated by Lisa Gruenloh. Nearly 70 employees attended, and the city may offer more Workshops in the summer. City Manager Bill Moss, Chief Tom Weschler, HR Director Denise Perez, and Risk Manager Lori McCullers are all committed to helping employees identify their strengths, gifts, and to live with purpose. A Purpose Workshop was also offered at The Shelter for Abused Women and Children. It was well received, with 35 of their staff in attendance. These are caring people who work very hard serving others, so it’s important for them to take care of themselves. Dr. Carol Gaffney facilitated this workshop, and employees identified their strengths and ways to share their gifts, both inside and outside of work. Purpose Workshops Windstar Country Club hosted a Purpose Workshop that was open to the public. It was held in a beautiful room, and invitations were sent out via email and Facebook. Dr. Steven Stohler and Dr. Carol Gaffney facilitated this workshop and, on the day of the event, 44 people showed up and filled the room to capacity. Attendees really enjoyed the experience, and the facilitators said it was one of the best workshops they had ever conducted. Individuals shared and supported one another, and there was a lot of positive energy in the room. |
Faith-Based Organizations
The Faith-Based Organization Committee is hosting a Summit on May 12 from 12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Many faith-based leaders across the community will participate and learn how they can optimize their organization to support the well-being of their members.
Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month— no matter the denomination — can add up to seven years of life expectancy. Faith-based organization can strengthen their members’ involvement and support their well-being by becoming Blue Zones Project Approved™.
A few of the ideas that will be discussed during the Summit include offering bike racks or active transportation at services, having healthy snacks, offering free Purpose Workshops, and creating walking groups.
Food
| VeganSWFL.org hosted a cooking demo using one of the Blue Zones Project recipes, Eggless-Raw-Salad. Fifteen people enjoyed the delicious healthy dish and, after the cooking demo, the group toured the Banana Sanctuary. Stay tuned for more cooking demo opportunities. |
Schools
The Blue Zones Project SWFL is pleased to announce Gaynor Early Learning Center-YMCA Naples has become the first preschool to complete the Organizational Checklist, and become Blue Zones Project recognized.
To earn this designation, they are participating in lunchtime and after work Moais, and hosting pot luck lunches to encourage healthy eating. They are also encouraging more water consumption, and less drinking of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages at the school. The Gaynor Early Learning Center-YMCA Naples is working hard to raise the bar of wellness and to model healthy behavior for students, staff and parents, as shown by this photo of students and staff heading off for a walking Moai.
A ribbon cutting was held at the Center on March 22 and, as shown in the photos, you can see everyone had a great time! Congratulations Gaynor!
Individuals & Organizations
Fundamental Health Solutions has become the first chiropractic practice in SW Florida to be named a Blue Zones Project Recognized Organization. "At Fundamental Health Solutions we embrace Blue Zones living principles. Our Think Right, Eat Right, Move Right and Live Right message is based on the Power 9™. And, like the Blue Zones Project, our success is based on the health, well-being and longevity of our community,” said Dr. Stephen Stohler, Wellness and Lifestyle Expert & Holistic Chiropractic Physician Founder and President of Fundamental Health Solutions. Dr. Stephen Stohler is a Blue Zones Project Volunteer-Facilitator for our Purpose Workshops.
Moai
We scheduled the community’s Walking Moai Celebration and Launch for Wednesday, February 24. Unfortunately, the weather that afternoon and evening was terrible. There were tornado warnings and thunderstorms, and it rained quite heavily. The party was supposed to start at 5:30 p.m. and we thought few, if any, would show up because of the weather. At 5:00 p.m. people started to arrive, and by 5:30 p.m. we had 30 attendees. Moai teams chatted with one another, swapped stories, and everyone had a good time while staying safe and dry indoors. Many of these Moai members are seasonal residents, so they’re headed north in the spring. However we still had enough full-time residents remaining in town to fill three Walking Moai teams. They were out walking that weekend looking for new members, and having a great time
The Blue Zones Project team enjoyed the opportunity to thank over 300 patrons of the NCH Healthcare System Foundation on Tuesday, March 15. We shared details about the wonderful momentum of the Blue Zones Project and expressed our appreciation of the patrons’ financial support to programs which truly make a difference in our community.
Women’s Health Forum – We were proud to help sponsor the 8th Annual Women’s Health Forum on Saturday, March 19. Attended by nearly 350 women interested in maximizing their health and wellness, the Forum, hosted by the Collier County Medical Society, featured informative presentations by twenty-four local physicians. The Blue Zones Project booth was popular with attendees who had the opportunity to spin the Power 9 wheel to learn one of the secrets of living longer, better. In addition, attendees walked away with their personal well-being checklists in hand, inspired to participate in the program.
7 min read
February 2016 Highlights
Worksites
On January 25, 2016, Moorings Park earned Blue Zones Project Approval™ as a Worksite. They did a fantastic job, scoring 77 points (5 more than needed.) They had three different moais – walking, potluck, and painting. Tessa Magaddino, Wellness Coach, and Larisa Zadorecky, VP of Human Resources, recently spoke at the HR Collier meeting. They were very excited and eager to share their story, and to talk about how their involvement in the Blue Zones Project added value and increased the return on their most precious investment, their employees. They obtained Personal Pledges from 254 of their employees, 32% of their workforce, and they’re happy to collect more! There will be a Ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 26 at 2:30 p.m.
Restaurants
Riverwalk at Tin City earned Blue Zones Project Approval™ as a Restaurant. The owner, Vin DePasquale has been in support of this project from the very beginning, and his GM Sara Badder brought got her staff excited and onboard. Great energy, lots of buy-in and creativity, and their Executive Chef Corey Heath added four mouth-watering plant-based entrees to the adult menu, and one to the kid’s menu. The scored 49 points, 5 more than were needed, and 26% of their staff completed a Personal Pledge. Ribbon-cutting February 17th at 1:00 p.m.
On February 4, 2016, The Dock at Crayton Cove earned Blue Zones Project Approval™ as a Restaurant. This is the sister restaurant of Riverwalk, also owned by Vin De Pasquale. GM Jacci Jones and her team knocked it out of the water, scoring 53 points, 9 more than were required. They also added four mouth-watering plant-based entrees to the adult menu, and one to the kid’s menu. The Dock serves condiments on the side and uses 10” plates, both of which added to more to their score. Both Riverwalk and The Dock even added the Blue Zones Project website, Facebook, and Twitter to the bottom of the guest checks, and they encourage patrons to learn more. Jacci had 34% of her team complete the Personal Pledge.
Faith-Based Organizations
We are excited to see so much participation from faith-based organizations. Unity of Naples is the first Blue Zones Project Approved Faith-Based Organization, and other organizations such as St. John’s the Evangelistic Catholic Church, Celebration Community Beach Church are leading the way as well. 6 faith-based organizations have registered to become Blue Zones Project Approved and 7 have expressed interest.
Food Policy
The Food Policy Council, now named the Healthy Food Resource Committee, has contacted almost 50 percent of our local produce vendors (conventional and organic produce) to determine interest in utilizing SNAP/EBT at Farmer's Markets.
Built Environment Policy & Tobacco
The City of Naples is moving forward with their marquee project along Central Avenue. The City of Naples had its first ribbon cutting for the Naples Square project, which incorporates Complete Streets concepts while promoting physical health.
The Tobacco Free Collier Partnership is researching ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Device Systems) and determining how many Southwest Florida residents currently use this product.
Schools
Momentum continues as nine Preschools/Daycares, as well as a Homeschool and Montessori school, have all asked for information on how they can be involved in the Project.
As the Directors looked through the Checklist or Pledge Booklet, they were filled with excitement as they thought of ideas they could incorporate to make the healthy choice easier for students, staff and parents. Stay tuned to see which of these Early Learning Centers will be first to become Blue Zones Project Approved.
Meanwhile, a Private school has crafted a unique approach on how they will incorporate the School Pledge. They left the decision up to students in a high school sustainability class (made up of juniors and seniors) who took the Vitality Compass, read Dan Buettner's book over their December break, and met with the Blue Zones Schools Coordinator to discuss ways Blue Zones principles could be used with young people. One of the students is so interested in the project that she decided to intern with the Blue Zones Project team, and is working on projects with the Schools Coordinator.
An informational booth was set up at a weekend event to educate the community about Blue Zones Project, and the class is currently meeting to discuss next steps for the rollout. These may include inviting the Schools Coordinator to give the Engagement Speech for parents, as well as for students and teachers. It will be interesting to see how students will take the lead to educate their peers and parents on how to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Individuals & Organizations
Congratulations to the following organizations to become Blue Zones Project Participating Organization:
Windstar on Naples Bay become the first country club in Southwest Florida to be named a Blue Zones Project Participating Organization. To earn this designation, Windstar on Naples Bay shared Blue Zones Project recipes, events, and healthy tips on its website and in member emails. The association hosted a Blue Zones Project “Lunch and Learn” where its chef showed members how to prepare plant-based dishes, as well as a Wine @ Five social hour, where more than 100 members learned how they could live more healthful and fulfilling lives. Windstar also has implemented Walking Moais, groups of five to eight individuals who come together to talk and walk while trading healthy recipes and tips for well-being. Windstar’s regular lunch menu also has a Blue Zones Project section that calls out healthy food items, and patrons may modify other menu items to fit Blue Zones Project recommendations.
Children’s Dentistry of Naples become the first organization in Southwest Florida to be named a Blue Zones Project Participating Organization. To earn this designation, Children's Dentistry of Naples established a Blue Zones Solutions Book Discussion among their employees, will promote the Power 9 in their office and through their social media networks, and will continue discouraging consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages with their patients.
If you've already taken the Blue Zones Personal Pledge, you are well on your way to better well-being. Wouldn’t it be great to get more of your friends and family to join you? Share this post with others and invite them to visit southwestflorida.bluezonesproject.com to learn more about the Project, attend a Blue Zones Project event, and take the well-being pledge. Our goal is to obtain 2,000 more pledges this month. You can help us get there and make SW Florida a healthier, happier and more connected community in the process!
Find a complete list of Approved organizations here!
