community collaboration and promotion

A One-day Race;A Year-round Force for

Health and Wellness

Where is the Crim Fitness Foundation?

•Flint, MI•Genesee County

What Are We Doing Today?

• Physical Activity Programming–1700 CrimFit Adult Training Program

Participants–Provided organized physical activity for

2,766 kids in 2013-2014• 37% of students achieved 60 minutes of

physical activity for 5 days each week• 59% increased their level of physical activity

What Are We Doing Today?

• Nutrition Education–FoodCorps and Nutrition Educators • All Flint schools• Dozens of county schools• Teaching kids to grow and harvest food,

make healthy eating choices

What Are We Doing Today?

• Mindfulness–1064 students reached• Teacher instruction programs• Direct work with students

–Helps 82% of kids focus in class–Helps 74% calm down when upset–Helps 82% make better decisions

Why did the Crim go from this…

…To This??

Evolving Needs in the Community

• In Flint and Genesee County:–36% of adults are obese –63% are reported as either overweight

or obese–Genesee County consistently at the

bottom of statewide health rankings

HOW did we get here today…

…when we started back in 1977 with…

Started at Unique Time ,In a Unique Place

• 1977: the year of a boom in new road races that are iconic today– Marine Corps Marathon, River Bank Run,

Boilermaker (1978)• Flint: a little version of Detroit– Affluent blue collar town that had reached its

peak (without exactly knowing it at the time)– One industry, one company

Keys to the Crim’s Success

• Partnerships across entire community helped the race happen– Community groups• Kiwanis, churches, etc.

– Special Olympics– Local businesses– Political leaders– City officials

A Growing Race

• Started as an event for “serious” runners– Chance to see top athletes compete

• Transitioned from spectator event to participant event

• Captured the community’s spirit– Added shorter races and kid events

• Numbers reached ~15,000 by the late 80’s

An Evolving Community

A Familiar American Story:

• Urban Disinvestment• Increasing Crime• Declining Schools• Declining Health

An Evolving Organization

• Crim board realized they could do something about what was happening

• Fundamental belief that individual health is most essential building block to having a good quality of life

• Focus on helping people be healthier through physical activity, nutrition, and mindfulness

CrimFit Training Program –Overview

• One of the Crim’s first programs focused on promoting health & wellness

• Started as one time program to get runners ready for 10 Mile

• Run/Walk method

CrimFit Training Program –Then and Now

• Over 20 years• 150-200 runners in first year• This year, over 1,700 runners and walkers

(largest ever)• Groups for runners AND walkers training for

Crim 10 Mile, 8K, 5K, and 1 Mile• Programs established at local universities,

community churches, & fitness centers

CrimFit Training Program –Newcomers and Veterans

• Mix of first time road racers and Training Program regulars

• Success mix of proven training methods and strong social support network

• Focus is on enjoying being active• Changing physical activity from a decision to a

habit

CrimFit Training Program –Engaging the Community

• Despite city’s large African American community, area running community mostly white, middle class women in their 30’s to 50’s

• Crim recognized need to make our running community closer reflect demographics of entire community

Flint Community Training Program

• Traditional CrimFit Training Program barriers (financial and transportation)

• Partner w/ private & foundation funders to offset cost

• Partner w/ area churches, schools, & community organizations to create neighborhood running/walking clubs

Flint Community Training Program –The Benefits

• Pre and post health assessments show significant improvement in major health indicators

• Increase in number of local residents participating in Crim races

• Enhanced community interaction

CrimFit Training Program –Major Takeaways

• Making physical activity a habit• Training safely and having fun doing it• Creating Crim advocates• Engaging the community• Transforming race into yearlong concept

Success > Vision > Action

• CrimFit Training Program the first step• In 2005, the Crim Fitness Foundation was

created• Expanding programs to youth a major focus• Partnerships key to success– Finding organizations with shared missions– Sharing credit– Taking away “turf” issues to bring organizations

together to focus on shared goals

Focus on Greater Mission

Guiding belief:– Individual health is the most essential

building block to having a good quality of life

Key competency:–Helping people be healthier through

physical activity, nutrition, and mindfulness

Take Baby Steps

• Identify compelling needs in the community you serve

• Start simple and small – focus on what you’re good at first

• Tie it to your race’s successes• Build relationships with key partners before

going in– Funders– Service sites

Build Credibility

• Accomplish what you say you’re going to do• Share credit• Tie to brand that you’ve already built• Ways to do things effectively and cost-efficiently– National Service – AmeriCorps, FoodCorps

The Crim Today: Doubling Down on Flint

• Leading community education revitalization• Flint Water: a health and wellness crisis• I Crim for Flint!• Leveraging our brand and partnerships

Key Takeaways

• Much of what we do is unique to Flint• Much of what we do is replicable– Identify compelling needs unique to your

community and develop a mission around addressing those challenges

– Identify ways to be a part of the solution that align with what you already do

– Use your brand to build credibility and excitement

Key Takeaways

• Expand existing partnerships • Leverage existing partnerships to build new

ones– Funders– Service sites

Thank you!

• Questions? – Andy Younger, Race Director

ayounger@crim.org810-235-3579

– Joe Dimambro, Assistant Race Directorjdimambro@crim.org810-235-3397