Project Title:   Active Living Interventions for Older Adults in Glenn Springs, SC

Amount Funded:   $24,850

About the Organization/Coalition:
Since 1989, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation (PCF) has advocated for sustainable development patterns in South Carolina through conservation, preservation and recreation. The statewide recreation project, the 200-mile Palmetto Trail, is a tool to affect community change for active living. In the Spartanburg area, the Glenn Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail serves as a catalyst for improving active living options, especially for older adults. The Palmetto Conservation Foundation will partner with HeartWise, a non-profit active living initiative, and eight local places of worship in planning and initiating the project.

Project Objectives:

1. Establish partnerships among health, urban/community planning, environmental groups, and recreation and social service organizations. Encourage these groups to work together to define, create, promote, and sustain communities that support lifelong physical activity.
2. Provide funding and implement physical activity programs for older adults through existing community facilities. The organization will offer mini-grants to eight local churches to design and implement community outreach programs, including community events on the Palmetto Trail and church walking groups.
3. Provide community organizations with a template for good physical activity programs. Examples of best practices that could be replicated in this community will be provided to participating churches. In addition, PCF will develop and distribute a community "walking map" that promotes local programs on a seven-mile section of the Palmetto Trail. The seven-mile trail connects an historic district, three churches, and several neighborhoods.
4. Educate people about physical activity.
5. Conduct behavioral research to understand better what motivates individuals to participate in community or self-directed activities.

Progress Report:  
The National Blueprint grant used for the Get Active Glenn Springs project on the Glenn Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail has created wide support and great ideas. The four churches awarded money to get involved with the trail have successfully designed their walking programs, planned events on the trail, and promoted trail walking within their congregation and the community as a whole. St. Luke United Methodist Church, Calvary Episcopal Church, Cedar Springs Baptist Church, and Shiloh Baptist Church have all organized an ongoing walking program for their members. There are 440 anticipated participants expected to get involved with these walking programs, events, and trail beatification. Since November, church members are meeting weekly to walk the trail together on Saturday afternoons and some church groups are beautifying the trail by planting trees, shrubs, and flowers, and picking up trash.

The Palmetto Conservation Foundation, HeartWise, and USC Prevention Research Center have collaborated to conduct a naturalistic survey in the Glenn Springs community. The evaluation component will help determine whether use of the trail has increased the participants' physical activity levels. The survey was conducted in the later part of the summer of 2002 and in 2003. The 2003 results have shown increases in many areas such as awareness about the trail availability in the community, exposure and trail usage, and physical activity levels. Findings from 2002-2003 show an increase in awareness from 46% in 2002 to 71% in 2003 and a 15% increase in trail usage from 2002. These increases have proven that with added exposure and intervention, seniors in Glenn Springs are becoming more aware of the trail and more physically active.

A community walking map that promotes local walking programs on the Glenn Springs Passage of the Palmetto Trail has been distributed to 4,500 local residents.

Contact Information:
Yon Lambert
Palmetto Conservation Foundation
187 N. Church St., Suite 802
Spartanburg, SC 29302
(864) 948-9615