Play Streets® was created to help prevent and combat childhood obesity by the Partnership for a Healthier America and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Just like in various cities across the country, Play Streets® will come to Buffalo beginning Sunday, May 5th.
Select streets will be closed to cars and opened to the community to walk, ride bikes, skate and participate in physical activities like dancing, jumping rope, hula-hooping and even climbing a rock wall!
Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Buffalo helped to shape the development of Play Streets® in Buffalo by providing concrete evidence of growing obesity trends and direct feedback from youth in our city regarding the impact of the environment on their health and well-being, as well as what they'd like to see to improve.
To continue collecting that important evidence, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partners are being summoned to assist with data collection at the Buffalo Play Streets® events.
Volunteers Needed!
- Volunteer teams of 2-3 people are needed to engage youth and adult participants.
- The volunteers will also need to make sure a survey is completed by the participants which should take no more than 10 minutes.
In order to reach the evaluation goal, 20 adult and 30 youth surveys need to be completed at each of the 5 events. People who complete a survey will receive an incentive, probably a frisbee. Of course, before and after the surveys have been completed, volunteers are free to hang out and enjoy all of the Play Streets® activities.
Volunteers are needed to help with set-up, clean-up and assisting event participants.If you'd like to volunteer or if you have any questions, please contact Henry Raess, Play Streets Coordinator by e-mail at henry@gobikebuffalo.org or by phone at 716.218-7161.
Events
People are encouraged to walk and bike to the events and throughout the events, where there are a number of activities to get you moving.
- Sunday, May 5th, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Manhattan Avenue (north of East Amherst Street, behind Bennett High School)
- Sunday, June 2nd – Hamlin Park
- Sunday, July 7th – Seneca/Babcock
- Sunday, August 4th – Allentown
- Sunday, September 1st – West Side (Rees St./Buff State/Richardson Complex)
Want to know more? Play Streets features a number of fun activities, including dance workshops, zumba, line-dancing, yoga, bike repair workshops, bike rodeos, a climbing wall, sports and games. Information on nutrition, health and wellness will be available. Buffalo Play Streets partner BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York will have their Healthy Zone Cruiser at each event, providing jump ropes and hula hoops for kids to play with and information on healthcare. In addition, Massachusetts Avenue Project’s Growing Green mobile market will be at several Play Streets, providing information on gardening and urban farming, growing seasons, recipes for preparing and cooking various vegetables and selling their fresh, locally-grown produce.
For more information, go to www.gobikebuffalo.org/programs/play-streets.