This summer, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) will expand its ongoing efforts to promote the 5-4-3-2-1 Go! ® healthy lifestyle message in several Chicago neighborhoods as part of a community-wellness initiative supported by Kohl's Cares®.

Community events, park programming and local advertising will all be on tap as 5-4-3-2-1 Go! is highlighted in Little Village, Englewood and Rogers Park during the summer months. CLOCC is working with the Chicago Park District to establish Dvorak, Hamilton and Loyola Parks as hubs for 5-4-3-2-1 Go! activities. 

Summer camp staff in participating parks are slated to train  with CLOCC experts and learn new techniques for disseminating the 5-4-3-2-1 Go! message to camp attendees. The summer camp curriculum will include "Go Games" to emphasize nutrition education while participants are simultaneously engaged in physical activity.

Billboards and CTA ads featuring the  5-4-3-2-1 Go! message are already in place in the three neighborhoods and will remain throughout the summer. If you see one, be sure to share it with us on twitter (@CLOCC_Chicago) or facebook (@CLOCC.Chicago). 

CLOCC and the Park District will also work with the Chicago Bicycling Ambassadors and Lurie Children's Hospital's Injury Prevention and Research Center (IPRC) to distribute bicycle helmets to children in these neighborhoods to facilitate safe physical activity. IPRC is also active in conducting safety inspections in various parks as a component of the initiative.

Since 2001, Kohl's has committed more than $14 million to Lurie Children's Hospital programs through Kohl's Cares, which sells children's books and toys. Kohl's donates 100 percent of the net profit to charitable initiatives nationwide. Kohl's has also contributed more than $50,000 in funds raised through employee volunteer hours. Learn more about Kohl's support of CLOCC and Lurie Children's here. 

For the first time in Illinois' history, the state's infrastructure capital bill revealed on Monday, June 3, includes dedicated funding for  walking and biking projects, with  approximately $50M earmarked for those purposes. The bill also creates sustainable funding for public transportation projects, designating  $4.7B over the next six years and approximately $280M each year thereafter. Governor Pritzker is expected to sign the bill.  

According to a statement by the Active Transportation Alliance,  the funds for pedestrian and bike infrastructure, which will be designated through a competitive grant process, will support potential investments to "pedestrian refuge islands, new trails and upgraded crossings, protected bike lanes, and other safety infrastructure." The allocation will double the size of the Illinois Transportation  Enhancement Program (ITEP) and fund as many as 125 new walking, biking and accessibility projects in Illinois.   

ActiveTrans warns, however, that the overall allocation process for infrastructure funding still lacks a data-driven process that will protect communities from unhealthy over-expansion of roadway projects. " Expansion projects also lead to more traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities, as well as more air pollution, flooding, and chronic disease due to physical inactivity" reads the statement.

View the bill here.  

• From Road Repairs to Transit Expansions, $33 Billion in Capital Bill Will Have "Monumental" Impact - Chicago Tribune
   
• Pritzker's Nearly $45B Capital Plan Is Way Better for Transportation Than Expected - StreetsBlog Chicago
   
• Gas Tax Hike, Higher Cigarette Tax and More Gambling To Cover $45 Billion Construction Plan - NPR
   

Strategies and interventions will focus on improving food access and environmental conditions to support healthy eating and physical activity in Chicago institutions and communities. This will be achieved through the management and oversight of CLOCC's team of Community Program Coordinators, effective interaction with the rest of CLOCC's staff, and coordination with partner organizations. 

In managing these aspects of the CLOCC program, the Program Manager will track progress on deliverables and financial expenditures related to these projects, oversee the work of volunteers and temporary student assistants, represent the program to community partners and other external organizations, collaborate on partner projects, and assist with the development of project proposals and stewardship reports.     

Click here to learn more or apply.

CLOCC continues to expand our focus "upstream" to identify the fundamental root causes of obesity, and to broaden the scope of our obesity prevention strategies. This work coincides with heightened local and national attention to health equity and social determinants of health, such as immigration, education, poverty and racism, all of which have an impact on people's ability to eat healthy and be active where they live, work, learn, and play. If you have comments or questions about this focus, we invite you to reach out to info@clocc.net.