On Thursday, September 4th, Growing Up Healthy partnered with the Faribault Diversity Coalition to hold a public viewing of the first episode in the documentary series “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?”  For more information on the documentary, check out the Unnatural Causes website.

Following the viewing, participants engaged in a discussion about what can happen in Faribault to start making a difference in the lives of families with young children.  Here are the highlights from that conversation with specific things YOU can do to get involved…

• Three Rivers Community Action delivers meals to seniors to help them stay in their homes, but they need more volunteers to keep it going.  So contact Three Rivers and get involved!

• Faribault has a lot of parks, but it seems like the newest and best maintained are in the areas where families have large yards and their own play equipment.  Can the city focus it’s park budget in the areas of town where families have less outside play space of their own?  Contact the city and start asking questions.

• There are also many neighborhoods that do not have sidewalks and/or biking paths – making it difficult for families with young children to walk or bike.  This limits their connection to the community and their access to beneficial exercise.  Contact the city and start asking questions.

• We get the most benefit from efforts that target the youngest members of the community.  Mentoring programs should be well supported.  Are you a mentor? Do you volunteer with youth?  Find out how you can get involved…

• Consider for a moment what Faribault would be like if every child was guaranteed the opportunity to attend quality pre-school.  Could the foundations and charitable organizations partner with the existing providers to make this a reality?  Start the conversation.

• Attend a meeting on September 11th at 4:30 at the Senior Center to get involved in the newly forming Early Childhood Initiative, funded by a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.

• Involve more minority groups in all of the conversations

• Work to decrease isolation of families in the community.  Check out a neat initiative in Minneapolis as an example of programs that fight isolation.

• What is the affordable housing stock really like in Faribault.  Is it quality?  Is anyone checking on that?  Start asking questions.

• Think of more ways to educate and empower all the citizens of Faribault.  Stay tuned for more information from the Chamber of Commerce on an upcoming Blandin training.