Community Change Grant from America Walks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin B. McKinney, Executive Director

St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO)

kmckinney@slaco-mo.org

314-361-9406

SAINT LOUIS ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS (SLACO) RECEIVES COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANT FROM AMERICA WALKS

ST. LOUIS, April 30, 2019—The St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO) is honored to receive one of 20 Community Change Micro Grants awarded by America Walks for use in 2019. The grant program supports local efforts to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and be physically active for all community members. Since its beginning in 2015, this grant program has provided funds for a variety of projects demonstrating the creativity and passion of walking champions across the U.S.

SLACO was selected from over 600 applications for projects that demonstrate the passion, creativity, and commitment of local walking champions. With support from partners, including the Juliet Ashby Hillman Foundation, Lyft, the Missouri Health Foundation, the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), and WalkBoston, 20 projects will be supported in 2019. Awardees will work with America Walks and other members of the Every Body Walk! Collaborates will successfully complete their projects and share their lessons with other community change agents. While the projects and programs work to improve walkability, the results of each grant will have a positive change on many areas of that community.

“Through our work, we know that when local community change agents work to get their neighborhood on the walking path, great things happen,” said Executive Director Kate Kraft. “Each of these grantees has a vision of how improving conditions for walking can lead to healthier communities. Our hope is that the work of these grantees will inspire action across the US to create communities where all can be active, healthy, and engaged.”

SLACO will be promoting a campaign promoting the benefits of walking. The strategy will focus specifically on the health benefits of walking to residents that do not incorporate walking or regular exercise into their daily lives. The successful implementation of this project will bring long-term health benefits and provide additional opportunities for community residents to come together in becoming change agents in a manner that they have never considered.

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About America Walks: America Walks is a 20-year-old national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering communities and advocates to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and be physically active for all. The organization provides its diverse network of over 30,000 advocates and hundreds of local, state, and national organizations, with the tools, resources, and experts needed to build capacity, gain experiences, and successfully promote walking and walkability. Learn more at www.americawalks.org

About St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO): SLACO is a 40-year-old organization that serves as an umbrella and coalition for the neighborhood associations in the St. Louis metropolitan area.  The 30 grassroots neighborhood groups that are SLACO members learn from and network with one another, and may take direct action where appropriate and necessary to create a desirable urban environment. SLACO’s mission is to improve the quality of life for residents and stakeholders of neighborhoods in the St. Louis region through community-based initiatives, citizen empowerment, and neighborhood organizing. SLACO is located at 5888 Plymouth Avenue, 63112. The phone number is 314-361-9406. The website is www.slaco-mo.org.