Kent initiative aims to promote health in city

So what does it really mean to be healthy?

Most of us would probably think of a fitness program, or a diet – something that involves losing weight and getting stronger.

That, of course, is part of the deal.

But if you stop and think, good health is a bigger equation than subtracting inches from your waistline. And if you take one more step back, you can see it involves your whole community.

It’s about having affordable, good food to eat.

It’s about having a support network of friends and family.

It’s about feeling safe in your community.

It’s about having your spiritual needs met.

Each of us could carve out a neat little plan for ourselves, listing the foods we should eat, and the things we could do to be healthier human beings.

But just imagine how much the focus increases when we join forces with our neighbors, and say “we are going to make our community a healthier place to live.”

Well, you don’t have to imagine it in Kent – it’s already starting to happen. And each of us has the chance to be in on the ground floor of this community-wide focus on health.

Spearheaded by Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke, the Kent4Health community initiative is a citizen-driven plan designed to give all of us the chance to be healthier. It’s a double dose of open-invitation activities and networking opportunities, aimed at making good health a part of our daily lives.

The kickoff for the Kent4Health initiative happens June 28, in conjunction (fittingly) with the opening of Town Square Plaza, the city’s newest park.

Cooke will be leading by example during the “Mayor’s Mile” that day, leading citizens on a walk through downtown Kent. The walk will start 11:45 a.m. from Town Square. Residents participating will get a pedometer to help them on their way of tracking miles. The walk is also part of a larger Kent4Health event: a community-wide accumulation of mileage, aimed at the 17,333 miles from Kent to China for the 2008 Olympics. The goal is to cover that distance before the Aug. 8 opening ceremonies.

There’s more to the initiative than just a proverbial walk in the park, though.

Logging onto the Web site www.Kent4Health.com will put you in touch with a growing number of local health-related activities, and the plan is to increase the numbers of those activities as more folks in the area become aware of the site and begin tuning into it.

There are also committees that area residents can become involved in, to help the initiative grow, and to bring more pre-existing health events to light.

For more information about the initiative, call 253-8564YOU (4968), or log on to the Kent4Health Web site.

Laura Pierce is editor of the Kent Reporter. She also is a committee member in the Kent4Health initiative. Contact her at 253-872-6677, ext. 5050, or online at lpierce@reporternewspapers.com.