With more than 130 Alberta municipalities, community leagues, and schools participating in Communities ChooseWell in 2011, the re-launch of this energizing health promotion program was a successful and memorable one.
       
The new ChooseWell Iron Chef challenge was a definitive highlight of the year. Several communities hosted culinary challenges featuring nutritious, local foods, ranging from BBQ and chili cook-offs to competitions in a high school foods class. Five winning teams from Manning to Strathmore took part in the provincial competition, where celebrity chefs assessed their creativity, taste and teamwork, ultimately awarding Team Morinville the title of ChooseWell Iron Chef Champion and a $2500 grant for local healthy eating initiatives.
   
The Sobeys 21 Days to Healthy Eating Challenge brought families back to the dinner table to enjoy more frequent family meals. Thousands of families across Alberta used a logbook to learn about healthy eating and track their family meals. Many shared stories about how the challenge, in the midst of back-to-school madness, made a difference in their lives. A Leduc parent admitted that, “without the incentive of the challenge, I probably would have taken the "easy" way out and let my kids eat without me. I’m glad I didn’t.” A Vermilion parent shared that “it is this type of activity that makes our family stronger and more open with each other.”

Alberta communities ranging in size from less than 200 to more than 85,000 people have been working hard and having fun getting their residents to eat right and be active. Thirty four communities were recently honoured at the annual award ceremonies for their efforts to enable healthier lifestyles for residents through providing health education, creating programs and services, building partnerships, or reducing barriers to healthy living for youth. Ten communities also received $2000 each to support local healthy living initiatives. Whether it’s doing a flash mob in the town centre, integrating gardening and healthy eating into existing summer programs, partnering with local schools and public health staff to raise awareness about healthy living, or holding a photo contest to “catch” family and friends making healthy choices, communities have astounding creativity and resourcefulness to improve wellness.
   
Communities ChooseWell is a free, community-driven health promotion program funded by Alberta Health and Wellness and managed by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. ChooseWell supports and empowers community leaders to facilitate wellness at the local level through resources, professional development, grants, and networking opportunities, and recognizes their successes through sharing stories and offering awards. Visit the online toolkit at http://arpaonline.ca/choosewell to view a short promotional video and gain more implementation ideas in Success Travels. Registration for the 2012 program will be available on the website in January. For further information, contact choosewell@arpaonline.ca or (780) 415-1745.

Footnote: Choosewell appreciates that community leagues rely on volunteers to initiate and implement programs and can relate to the challenges associated with this. The vast majority of people who are overseeing Communities ChooseWell in the 130+ communities that participated in 2011 are doing so on a voluntary basis. They come from diverse fields such as recreation, health, social services, municipal administration, even the town librarian! Thus, the level of engagement varies depending on competing demands, staff turnover, etc. We definitely strive to support communities as best we can and make this a very non-demanding program to participate in and one that enables communities to build on their strengths and resources.