[New] Movers & Pacers launches Jan. 6

Contributed Report

Community Matters is partnering with the Virginia Cooperative Extension again to launch a healthy lifestyle walking initiative for 55+ every Friday (beginning Jan. 6 and ending March 31) called Movers & Pacers at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium at the Pocahontas Landmark Center, 4290 Anderson Highway.

Participants will track cumulative steps weekly, log in with a facilitator first, then

Community Matters is also partnering with the Virginia Cooperative Extension again to launch a healthy lifestyle walking initiative for 55+ every Friday (beginning Jan. 6 and ending March 31) called Movers & Pacers. It will meet at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium at the Landmark Center. Participants will track cumulative steps weekly, log in with a facilitator first then walk in the gym on Fridays throughout winter months.

Lloyd said she is excited about a new collaboration with Megan Heatwole, director of Powhatan Parks and Recreation, and the latter’s ideas to better serve residents who are 55 and older. They began talking earlier this month and found many of their ideas meshed. Lloyd called the partnership between the two programs “pivotal.”

“Megan Heatwole offers so much insight from the experience she has with programming of this nature and having the program featured in that space enables us to be creative with scheduling, have better storage and accommodate more interests,” Lloyd said. “The Parks and Recreation Department is a vital mainstay in communities walk in the gym on Fridays throughout winter months. and we know the 55+ population accounts for a major segment of Powhatan, so revisiting this space for the program is a perfect fit and holds exciting potential in the future for more diversity and expansion.”

To register for this program, attend Friday, Jan. 6 at 9 a.m. and then login and walk weekly thereafter.

Meet others in the community finding more ways to stay active this winter!

Contact Jayne Lloyd, program coordinator, at 804-698-0438 or RAServices. PVA@gmail.com with any questions.

Heatwole said she met Lloyd within her first two weeks on the job and has found Community Matters to already be a fantastic local resource. The two agreed to partner and utilize the space at the Pocahontas Landmark Center, because Heatwole’s goal is “to get this place busy.”

“The ball has been rolling and it has not stopped since I’ve gotten here. This is such a wonderful partnership because senior recreation is one of the most popular and expanding recreation programs,” she said. “People are living longer and staying healthier because of medical technology and just the trend of preventative health care. It strongly meets the mission of a parks and recreation department. Research shows that older adults that participate in senior center programs can help manage and delay onset of chronic diseases or show improvements in their physical, social, spiritual, mental health and well-being.”

Heatwole added that especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation in the 55plus community dramatically increased, “so as we are recovering from the pandemic, it is so important to be able to provide safe spaces where we can bring the community back together, especially for seniors who may be widowed or don’t have family close by,” Heatwole said.

She pointed out that a 2019 needs assessment done for parks and recreation found that “by 2033, 43% of the population in the county is projected to be 55 plus – which is huge – and 30% of Powhatan County households through the survey that was conducted at that time have shown a need for programs and services for adults 55 plus.”

For more information about Community Matters, call program coordinator Jayne Lloyd at 804-698-0438.

Laura mcFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday. com.