Informational Session Planned for January 24

BURLINGTON, VT - Fletcher Allen Health Care and the Champlain Initiative announced today that funding is available for use in reducing obesity and promoting physical activity and healthy nutrition.  Grant requests are now being accepted from community-based collaborations of two or more entities for mini-grants of up to $10,000.

The $25,000 in funding for the grants has been provided by Fletcher Allen through its Community Benefits Program.  The Champlain Initiative will assist Fletcher Allen in soliciting and evaluating proposals and in providing technical assistance to the grantees where appropriate.

An informational session for potential applicants will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on January 24 at the United Way of Chittenden County, 95 St. Paul Street, Burlington.

In 2004 a consortium of community-based organizations completed a community needs assessment that identified physical health (particularly obesity, poor nutrition and eating habits, and sedentary lifestyles) as one of its top three priorities.  These factors often lead to diabetes and to heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the area.

Information about both the mini-grants can be found at the Web sites for the United Way of Chittenden County (http://www.unitedwaycc.org/champlain_initiative.htm) and Fletcher Allen (http://www.fahc.org/health_improvement/index.html).