Healthy Central Florida helped hopeful nonprofits get inspired last month as part of its Health Innovation Grant Workshop where ten organizations will be granted $2,500 for projects and initiatives that aim to make the Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park area the healthiest in the nation. Four Healthy Central Florida’s main focus areas. But the biggest draw was the “Gangsta Gardner,” Ron Finley (ted talk) who spoke about his experience changing culture in Los Angeles by planting community gardens on public right-of-ways. The way Finely sees it, “growing your own food is like printing your own money.” Finely’s work sums up all of the areas Healthy Central Florida is hoping to see programs for. He put people in control of healthy eating to make them happy, planted food to first change behavior then change opinions, and gave the tools of growing one’s own food that would last beyond an initial grant.
The other speakers included Mark Freid of Think Creative who advocated for the importance of a happy workplace, Peter Mitchell of Salter Mitchell who spoke about tips in behavior change marketing, and Mark Fenton on creating a program that will outstand the grant.
Check out the programs that won a mini-grant at last year’s Health Innovation Grant Workshop here.
Winners will be notified the week of June 22 and we can’t wait to see how they will impact our community!
