SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — To boost healthy community activities during the winter, the village of South Orange, South Orange Village Center Alliance and Seton Hall University are partnering to launch a “SO Healthy” campaign this quarter.
The campaign seeks to encourage the community to team up and adopt consistent healthy habits during the first three months of the year — habits that will persist and serve to optimize community health and well-being for years to come. Prizes will be awarded for creative and successful social media posts sharing healthy choices, and community groups that demonstrate outstanding progress during the campaign will be recognized. Participants can visit the SO Healthy Idea Board on Facebook to compare notes, celebrate successes and keep an eye on the competition.
“It takes from 21 days to almost a year to form a new habit; on average, about two months. Forming new habits is easier when you have a base of support from like-minded friends and family. Community interaction and friendship is a health habit in and of itself,” said village Trustee Donna Coallier, an avid runner and chairwoman of the Health & Public Safety Committee.
Village Trustee Walter Clarke, who bicycles all around town to keep fit and reduce his carbon footprint, added, “Making biking or walking a part of your daily life helps you stay healthy while getting what you need to do done!”
SOVCA Executive Director Julie Doran is working with Village Family Medicine and Atlantic Health System as a sponsor for the initiative and is engaging the broader downtown business community for further support and involvement. “We have a number of health-oriented businesses downtown, with planned prizes and healthy product offerings during these first few months of 2020,” she said. “Participants seeking prizes should follow SOVCA @sovillagecenter on Facebook or Instagram to enter to win.”
SHU Health Services Director Diane Lynch and Community Relations Associate Director Fahim Abedrabbo said, “Helping our Seton Hall students and community develop healthy habits is an important focus for us in Health Services. Promoting healthy habits not only supports student success, but it can help set the stage for a happier and healthier life. We are very excited to have the opportunity to join our local community in this year’s ‘SO Healthy’ campaign and feel it’s a great way to kick off the new year.”
Volunteers interested in driving the “SO Healthy” campaign should reach out to Coallier at dcoallier@southorange.org. The campaign is seeking help from health experts and influencers to generate enthusiasm, lead community groups, cheer on participants and help with logistics. Businesses looking to donate prizes or coordinate healthy activities for participants should reach out to Doran at julie@sovillagecenter.org. For more information, visit www.southorange.org/SOHealthy.
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