Boulder County Public Health honors community leaders address health and safety issues

April 03-- Apr. 3--The work of Growing Gardens, Lynn Gilbert and the St. Vrain Valley Safe School Coalition will be honored by Boulder County Public Health during the Boulder County Healthy Community Awards. The event will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the St. Vrain Community Hub.

Growing Gardens will be recognized for its work bringing gardening, nutrition education and produce donations to more than 136,000 Boulder County residents in the past 20 years.

In 2018 alone, Growing Gardens collaborated with Boulder County Public Health to provide 400 seeds and plant starts to 19 child care programs that participate in the Farm to Early Childhood Education Program. It also offered free gardening classes for parents, child care staff and children.

In 2019, it plans to provide free nutrition education for 300 children attending preschools inBoulder and distribute 800 plant starts and 120 seed packets to 31 child care programs.

As an integral part of Healthy Boulder Kids, Lynn Gilbert is being recognized for her grassroots advocacy of the sugary drink tax in Boulder. The tax is anticipated to prevent nearly 1,000 children from becoming obese, lead to a 10 percent reduction in the incidence of diabetes, and avert 17 deaths in a 10-year period.

The St. Vrain Valley Safe Schools Coalition is being recognized for its advocacy of age-appropriate LGBTQIA+ literature in all school libraries in the district, the development of gay-straight alliance clubs in all middle and high schools, the implementation of districtwide guidelines for educators to support transgender and gender non-conforming youth, as well as its bullying prevention efforts.

John Spina: 303-473-1389, jspina@times-call.com or twitter.com/jsspina24

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