Inclusivity is a core value of parks and recreation and is the epitome of NRPA’s Social Equity Pillar. Through various programs and services, agencies and facilities across the country work hard to ensure that people from all backgrounds and abilities are able to enjoy their parks and recreation facilities with ease. Seattle Parks and Recreation has more than embraced this concept with its Food and Fitness program — serving newly immigrated older adults and their families at facilities throughout the city. This program, which includes advocacy and referral services, nutritious meals, recreation and wellness programs, and a variety of other requested services, is an example of how valuable these inclusive services can be to the surrounding community.
Creating Access
“The Food and Fitness program started through a partnership with the Seattle Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens and several community partners who were seeking additional programming space for elders in the community in 2004,” say Jill Ellison, Recreation Program Specialist; Trevor Gregg, Recreation Manager-Central Operations; and Brenda Kramer, Manager-Lifelong Recreation of Seattle Parks and Recreation — who all work directly with the program. “In an effort to increase access to healthy food choices that were culturally relevant and to increase health and wellness activities for immigrant and refugee elders, Seattle Parks and Recreation created the program with various other agencies that serve immigrant and refugee elders in the community.”
In the Central Geographic District, the Food and Fitness Program hosts the Korean, Vietnamese and Eritrean/Ethiopian elders at Miller, Yesler and Garfield community centers. The free program provides engaging activities, culturally appropriate meals, and health and fitness opportunities for elders who have recently arrived in the United States and the City of Seattle. It also provides an opportunity to connect with the community and socialize in a welcoming, safe environment.
“The programs typically meet two days per week, providing various physical activity programs, including line dancing, tai chi, ping pong, interactive karaoke, partner dancing and multiple special events,” say Ellison, Gregg and Kramer. “Additional services include haircuts, health screenings and program advocacy and referral appropriate to the cultural needs of the elders being served. Education sessions are also offered by social workers, nutritionists and other specialists.” Access to healthy food is also an important facet of this program. To feed the almost 100 people who attend each session, volunteers prepare and cook culturally specific, healthy meals for the elders in the program to eat at the facilities and take home to their families. Local restaurants also donate prepared food for the participants during the program.
A Community Effort
The Food and Fitness program works with several community partners who help fund and operate its initiatives. “Program funding was initially provided by the Aging and Disability Services section of Seattle Human Services Department,” say Ellison et al. “Later, this responsibility was transferred to the community providers who were looking for reduced rental costs in an effort to serve more elders. Seattle Parks and Recreation was able to provide the space and gain a tremendous benefit — a connection to elders from the immigrant and refugee communities.
“Seattle Parks and Recreation works very closely with the City of Seattle Human Services Department and the Aging and Disability Network who work hand-in-hand with community partner organizations that provide leadership, staff and support to the programs,” they continue. “Currently, we work with the Asian Counseling and Referral Services, Women’s Refugee Alliance, Korean Senior Club of Seattle and the Vietnamese Senior Association. These partnerships developed over time through Seattle Parks and Recreation’s connection to Senior Services (the largest agency in the county serving seniors) and to the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens.”
The success of the Food and Fitness program has been met with an abundance of support from the community for the initiatives and the elders who have recently arrived to Seattle. The program is not only touching the lives of the elders and families participating in the program, but it is also awakening the outside community to new cultures and ways of life. “The Food and Fitness Program provides opportunities for members of the community to observe, participate in and welcome elders from other cultures and backgrounds,” say Ellison et al. “Educating the public about ethnic communities is one of our goals. We have begun asking the Food and Fitness programs to host an annual event that’s open to the public in order to meet our goal. This year, the Vietnamese Senior Association and the Korean Associations both invited the public to their annual New Year celebration. In addition, we strive to integrate Food and Fitness participants into other park and recreation programs. To date, we have been most successful doing this with our Sound Steps walking program, which is free and is largely led by volunteers.”
Moving forward, Seattle Parks and Recreation is planning to expand its Food and Fitness programming, even while negotiating some significant hurdles. “Oftentimes, the ethnic communities do not have the resources to provide staffing to support the program and look to other organizations, like the Asian Counseling Referral Service, for assistance,” say Ellison et al. “Additionally, with the food component of the program, pick up and delivery of food in compliance with Health Department regulations must also be met. All these aspects require considerable efforts to organize and coordinate. We are most successful when sponsoring organizations approach us for facility use.”
In spite of these challenges, Food and Fitness will continue to play an important part in the integration of the elder immigrant adults into the community and into Seattle Parks and Recreation. “The program is critical to the successful transition of recently arrived elders who often speak little or no English,” say Ellison et al. “These programs connect immigrant and refugee elders to a network of family and friends quickly, providing the social, mental, physical and nutritional needs for the individual. Our hope is to feed the entire person, thus creating an opportunity for elders to adapt to their new surroundings in a safe and welcoming space.”
Catrina Belt is an Editorial Intern for Parks & Recreation magazine.