TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Governor’s Council on Fitness (GCOF) presented the 2021 Kansas Health Champion Awards during the Community Health Promotion Summit today, Thursday, January 28.
The Health Champion Award was developed by the Governor’s Council on Fitness to recognize and promote exemplary contributions to fitness in Kansas. Those recognized include an individual and organization, as well as honorable mentions in each category.
Individual Health Champion: Jared Tremblay, Manhattan
Organizational Health Champion: City of Coffeyville
Individual Honorable Mention: Richard Rosenkranz, Manhattan
Organizational Honorable Mention: Hutchinson Recreation Commission, Hutchinson
“Eligible nominees include volunteers, schools, communities, employers, media organizations and policy makers that put forth exceptional efforts to model, encourage and promote fitness in Kansas,” said Candice McField, GCOF Awards Chair. “The winners were selected from the nominations of several worthy candidates in each category.”
This is the eighth year for these awards.
“Congratulations to these individuals and organizations for being exceptional in their efforts to model, encourage and promote fitness in Kansas,” said KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman.
Health Champions
Jared Tremblay of Manhattan has dedicated his personal life and professional career to promoting safe walking and biking. Jared in his role at the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization
(FHMPO), works with regional leaders to plan infrastructure projects and promote walking and biking throughout the Flint Hills region, including Manhattan, Junction City, and Wamego. Beyond this role, Jared volunteers time and knowledge to advocate for safe cycling and walking. He serves on the City of Manhattan Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee as an ad hoc member. He works with BikeWalkMHK, and before COVID-19 was planning to host a Bicycle Commuter Education class based on a program that he helped develop for USD 383.
Wyatt Thompson, who nominated Tremblay said, “People who live in the communities where Jared has worked, have greater opportunities to safely walk and bike in their community. They owe this to the personal example Jared sets every time he gets on his bike and the enthusiasm he shares with many years dedicated to this work.”
City of Coffeyville is described as the place, “where our history fuels our future”. City leaders go beyond modeling and promoting health and fitness in several different ways to citizens. They have passed a tobacco-free parks policy, made walking to school safely possible for one community grade school that houses over a thousand students. They even have received half a dozen grants totaling over 2 million dollars to build sidewalks and walking trails.
Marci Roberts, who nominated the City says, “The City’s efforts have been a tremendous influence on our community pride and inspiration to improve the town, they have worked hard to foster lasting partnerships and shown tremendous foresight in connecting grant monies that complement each other, which has enabled transformational change.” She adds, “these efforts have changed the built environment for the better and for the long run, it is definitely much more than just easier access for walking and biking to school, shopping and recreation, it is improvements that have definitely made the effort to be more physically active more inviting!”
Honorable Mentions
Richard (Ric) Rosenkranz of Manhattan is a model and promotes an active and healthful lifestyle among children, adolescents, and college students in Kansas. As a professor at K-State Ric teaches the next generation of health professionals to address pressing population health problems related to physical inactivity, poor diet, and other lifestyle behaviors and his research supports creating better opportunities for children and adolescents to engage in health-promoting behaviors within the settings where they live, learn, develop, and play. He volunteers and provides expertise and support for community programs and helped to create partnerships that collaboratively improve opportunities for health and fitness in Kansas. “Ric’s commitment will continue as long as his mind and body permit,” said Sara Rosenkranz who nominated Ric. “Because his commitments are fueled by a passion for movement, fitness, health, and lifelong learning.”
Hutchinson Recreation Commission offers programs to meet the needs of their community and tailors their activities to meet the needs of people of all ages, including those living with disparities and limitations, including being innovative in offering courses online due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, they offer a wide variety of activities that promote health and fitness. At Elmdale Senior Center, special efforts were made even amidst the pandemic to continue to provide a healthy lunch to members, feeding almost 100 people three days a week. In addition to offering programs that aim to improve the physical and mental health of seniors.
Diane Swinney, Health Educator for the commission, in her nomination shared, “Hutchinson Rec is very deserving of the Kansas Health Champion Award, they definitely make healthy living a priority for the residents of all ages and abilities in Reno County.”
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