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.
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. |
Purpose Workshops
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.
