Mission Statement

ACTIVE Louisville is a collaboration working to create more vibrant neighborhoods where residents incorporate healthy habits into their daily routine.

Description

In November 2003, the Louisville Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Housing Authority became the proud recipients of a $200,000 Active Living by Design grant. Active Living by Design is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation designed to establish and evaluate innovative approaches that promote physical activity and health. Grants were awarded to 25 cities to develop and implement strategies in their communities that will increase opportunities for getting fit and remove barriers to routine physical activity. Louisville was awarded this funding in conjunction with changes in the built environment resulting from the Clarksdale HOPE VI Revitalization plans.

The award of this grant also gave birth to ACTIVE Louisville, an inter-disciplinary partnership responsible for planning and implementing strategies that:

• Increase access to and availability of opportunities for active living;
• Eliminate design and policy barriers that reduce choices for active living; and
• Develop communications programs that create awareness and understanding of the benefits of active living.

ACTIVE Louisville’s initiative is focused on the Clarksdale HOPE VI Revitalization area and the surrounding neighborhoods of Phoenix Hill, Smoketown, and Shelby Park. The partnership ultimately hopes to reshape the way that planning, policy, and physical development occur throughout the Louisville Metro area and to institutionalize Active Living by Design principles in the planning and review process for community design.

Descriptions of Programs

Get Up, Get Out is a FREE set of fitness classes available at the Presbyterian Community Center.  Although this initiative was created by ACTIVE Louisville, it is now funded by the Louisville Metro Health Department.  Activities include a walking club, the "Golden Gliders" exercise classes specially tailored to the elderly, weekly Tai Chi classes led by Baba Serikali, and line dancing taught by Louisville Slyde's very own Sonny Baker.  All other programs are led by fitness trainer Tanika Owens of TNT Fitness Training LLC. 

Presbyterian Community Center is located at 701 S. Hancock Street.  For more information, call Tanika Owens at (502)931.3834.

 

The current schedule is as follows:

• Monday 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Line Dancing

• Tuesday 10 a.m. –12 p.m. Personalized Fitness Training and 6 – 7 p.m. Walking Club or Personalized Fitness Training

• Wednesday 11 – 11:15 a.m. Golden Gliders and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tai Chi with Baba Serikali

• Thursday 10 a.m. – Noon Personalized Fitness Training, 5:30p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Hip Hop-ercise, and 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Personalized Fitness Training

• Friday- all day open gym

Descriptions of Projects

St. Peter Claver Community Garden

Community garden plots are still available for the use of  neighborhood residents, and community groups are welcome to explore programming opportunities with us. For more information contact ACTIVE Louisville's Grants Coordinator Jennifer Clark at 819-7881 or activelouisville@gmail.com. 

Smoketown / Shelby Park Farmers’ Market

ACTIVE Louisville* is dedicated to increasing the vitality of the Smoketown / Shelby Park Farmers' Market, which will begin its fourth season in June 2007. This coming season:

• ACTIVE Louisville's  partners will continue to hold special promotional events at the market, which takes place in the Meyzeek Middle  School parking lot at the corner of Breckinridge and Preston streets.
• Chef Nancy Russman will once again conduct her popular cooking demonstrations featuring the ACTIVE Louisville series of healthy recipes.
• ACTIVE Louisville will also continue to work with the Community Farm Alliance (CFA) and the Metro Health Department to expand the WIC voucher pilot they began in August 2005. Results of the pilot will be  used to encourage the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to expand the WIC farmers' market voucher program to urban markets in Jefferson County. For more information contact the CFA at (502) 775-4041.     

Hancock Corridor Improvements

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded ACTIVE Louisville a "Special Opportunities" grant in November 2005.   These funds are earmarked for initiatives and improvements that enhance a designated 1.5 mile stretch of Hancock Street. ACTIVE Louisville envisions this route will one day be  a safe, convenient and attractive bicycle and pedestrian corridor from Shelby Park to the Gallery District. To accomplish this goal, ACTIVE Louisville is working wiht a trained criminal justice expert to complete a CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) report that includes a comprehensive survey of existing neighborhood conditions along the Hancock Corridor as well as recommendations for improvements. ACTIVE Louisville will be working with area residents, businesses, community youth and the Louisville Metro Police Department to implement low-cost and effective recommendations from this report- such as the removal of abandoned cars- to enhance public safety.


The Clean Team