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The
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health &
Sports
and the Michigan Fitness Foundation
Position Posting - Lansing, Michigan
Project Manager for USDA SNAP-Ed Enhancement Grant
Click here for the job description
Top Stories:
Be "Smart": New Web Site Helps People
Change Their Commute
 A new Web resource has been launched to provide tools, information and inspiration to help community leaders encourage residents to “Smart Commute” (walk, bike, carpool, or use public transit).
The MI Smart Commute Web site offers step-by-step instructions for creating a successful Smart Commute event to showcase how easy it is to save money, think green and get fit by using alternative transportation to get to work, school, or run errands.
As the use of alternative transportation becomes more prevalent, the MI Smart Commute Web site gives Michigan communities the tools they need to initiate a Smart Commute event. These user-friendly tools, developed by seasoned Smart Commute coordinators, make it easy for new communities to join the movement toward creating a healthier Michigan.
Bikes for Moms
On June 30, busy moms wanting to re-connect with the joy of bike riding attended a “Bikes for Moms” demonstration class offered by the Fitness Council of Jackson. After learning about bike rules of the road, helmet fitting, safety tips, and how to navigate around town by bike, each participant picked out a bike that was donated and then refurbished by local volunteers through the Community Bike Program. When asked which part of the demonstration class was their favorite, participants resoundingly expressed how excited they were to have a bike of their own so that they could ride with their children, be more physically active, and travel around town. Now that they are fully equipped with a bike helmet, lock, and bike education, these moms are ready to set a good example for their children as physically active role models.
The “Bikes for Moms” demonstration class was offered as part of the  Rec-Connect program, which aims to connect families of pre-school children with low-cost physical activity opportunities. The Rec-Connect program was made possible by Federal Funds from USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- Nutrition Education Program by wayof the Michigan Nutrition Network at Michigan State University Extension in partnership with the Michigan Fitness Foundation.
EPEC Forms Beneficial Alliances
 On In mid-June, EPEC (Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum) formed alliances with Skillastics Inc. and Bonnie’s Fitware to increase the program’s offerings for physical educators and address America’s childhood obesity epidemic.
EPEC will team up with Skillastics Inc., in order to provide the physical education community with a new series of products aimed at improving the physical education and wellness of the nation’s youth. This bond will build on the standards-based elements of the curriculum and add more physical activities.
Also, EPEC will join forces with Bonnie’s Fitware in order to provide additional physical education materials and products to teachers. EPEC has also assumed distribution of the Bonnie’s Fitware products.
EPEC is an award-winning chronic disease prevention program for grades K-12 that is aligned to the NASPE (National Association for Sport and Physical Education) standards for physical education. It provides step-by-step instructions enabling students to succeed in the physical education classroom.
Meijer is Announced as the
Official 2009 Platinum Sponsor of the
Michigander Bicycle Tour
A generous donation from Meijer has helped to provide vital materials that will help cover the costs of this year’s Michigander bicycle tour. This is just one of the many ways that Meijer is showing their support of Michigan’s multi-use trails.
The Michigander Bicycle Tour will travel through some of Michigan’s most scenic rail trails and back roads in the heart of Central Michigan. The ride is designed with both family and fitness activists in mind. With the support of Meijer, the Michigander continues to provide a fun and challenging way for cyclists to discover and enjoy the trails of Michigan.
The Michigander, in its 18th year, provides the option of a two-, six- or seven-day tour, and encourages riders of every skill level to participate. Paved routes will be available for road bikers and a single track option is available for more experienced mountain bikers.
All proceeds of the ride benefit MTGA and their efforts to connect Michigan through a statewide system of trails. For more information visit www.michigantrails.org.
Mid-America Trails & Greenways Conference
Connects in Kalamazoo
The 4th Mid-America Trails and Greenways Conference will be held on October 25-28 at the Radisson Hotel and Suites in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Professionals, advocates and trail users are working together to create a growing network of greenways and trails tying together people, places and opportunities for recreation. The conference celebrates existing and new connections while offering an excellent opportunity for all those involved in trails and greenways to share experiences, learn from each other, and continue connecting our trails and greenways.
Kalamazoo combines a wealth of recreational trails, parks and natural areas with a vibrant mix of historic neighborhoods and a renovated, vibrant Art Deco downtown. Named by the Urban Land Institute as one of the “Top Ten Turnaround Downtowns,” Kalamazoo offers many award-winning visitor destinations. It engages tourists with its wide variety of attractions that will offer an enjoyable experience for all guests.
For more information on the conference, click here or contact the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance at 517-485-6022.
Labor Day Community Walks
 With a population of nearly 10 million people, about 50,000 join Michigan’s traditional Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Walk each year. If you can’t make it up to Mackinac this year, your community can still help set a new record for the most walkers in one day! We could easily double or triple the number of Michiganders walking on Labor Day if every community hosted their own “virtual bridge walk.” Just as the Mackinac Bridge Walk links the two peninsulas, we can link all communities of Michigan with these walks.
If interested in hosting a Labor Day Community Walk, please fill out this form and we will send you a Labor Day Walk Packet at no charge. The contents of the packet include: a guide to a successful Labor Day Community Walk, a sample press release, a publicity flyer, instructions for customizing the publicity flyer and a CD-ROM (containing the press release and flyer). Furthermore, the Governor’s Council will promote your Labor Day Walk to citizens and the media. We post all Community Walks on our website once registered and will endorse all of your community physical activity events including the Labor Day Community Walk. With the support of Farm Bureau Insurance, the Governor’s Council is able to provide the free packet to help make your community walk a success!
Don’t let your community miss the chance to showcase its commitment to active living by hosting a Labor Day Community Walk. For more information, please visit http://www.michiganfitness.org/LDComBridgeWalk.htm. To see if a walk is being hosted in your community this year, click here.
Bicycling Toward Tax Credit
On top of promoting a healthier lifestyle, helping the environment and saving on fuel, bicycling is offering yet another benefit to the workforce. Employers can now register their business and employees for the bicycle commuter tax provision.
Beginning in taxable years after December 31, 2008 employers can receive $20 per month in tax write-offs for every employee who commutes by bicycle. This will allow employers to reimburse its employees for reasonable expenses such as the purchase of a bicycle, improvements made, and repairs and storage, if the bicycle is regularly used for commuting from home to work.
For more information about the bicycle tax credit, visit the League of American Bicyclists homepage.
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