It was standing room only at Baxter Memorial Library on May 17 for the kick-off of the new town-wide initiative to make Gorham, “Maine’s Happiest and Healthiest Town!”
Steve Smith, a longtime Gorham resident, member of First Parish Congregational Church, and sponsor of the initiative through his company NovaPartners, served as emcee of the event. Scott Lovaas, co-director of the initiative and interim lead minister at First Parish, explained this new and exciting initiative as an innovative way to support and lift up Gorham and its residents. After meeting with community members over several months, “it became clear that Happy Healthy Gorham was an initiative that the whole town could come together around,” said Lovaas.
Co–Director, Kim Arena, added, “We kept coming back to these healthy, positive values. Every time we talked with residents about these topics for the whole town, there were big smiles, enthusiasm and excitement. It’s so exciting to rally around a positive, healthy initiative that benefits absolutely everyone.”
Lovaas explained that the inspiration for the four, one-week themed program draws upon work from Dan Buettner’s global work on longevity and health, “The Blue Zones,” Michael Pollan’s work on refocusing on the basics of eating real food, Jeff Speck’s work on walkable cities and Robert Emmons (a former USM graduate) on gratitude. The themes will actively promote, educate, and elevate healthy living in Gorham and will be multi-generational, multi-sensory, and available community wide.
Photo credit Roger MarchandSpeakers at the Happy Healthy Gorham kick-off meeting on May 17 included (left to right) Scott Lovaas, Glenn Cummings, Diane Atwood, Stacey Coleman, Jesse Coleman, Heather Perry, and Steve Smith.
Moving Naturally – September 2017: Exploring Gorham’s trails and neighborhoods for walking, biking, hiking. Scavenger hunts, outdoor exercise classes and education and for the whole town.
Kindling Kindness – November 2017: Creating a town kindness tree, kindness notes left on cars around town, community outreach projects, etc.
Growing Gratitude – February 2017: Could Gorham break a record for the longest Gratitude list? Science is showing gratitude is good for everyone’s health.
Eating Well – April 2018: Local farmers and CSA’s, cooking classes, eating healthier, etc.
Glenn Cummings, President of the University of Southern Maine, spoke in support of the initiative. He said, “USM is highly committed to this project,” and talked about achieving abundance by giving ourselves to the positives in life. He then outlined some of the ways that USM can work with the community in not only this project but also in other learning areas.
Heather Perry, Gorham Superintendent of Schools, spoke about the goals of the project fitting in with the school district’s Code of Conduct, while Diane Atwood, author of a health blog called “Catching Health,” shared her ideas for living a healthy life and working with others through sharing our strengths and abilities with them. Stacy and Jesse Coleman, owners of My-fit-24, also spoke.
Books, gifts and prizes were given out throughout the event and guests were given flowers and a thank you card on their way out, inspiring everyone to take a few minutes to send a note of gratitude to someone who had improved their day.
To learn more about this initiative, please visit their website or email Kim Arena at health@firstparishgorham.org