the San Francisco shared schoolyard project & their inspirational involvement in the community

The American Heart Association recently teamed up with The Shared Schoolyard Project. This program provides something very special for the community at large. Their mission is to provide a safe, clean space for the city's children and families to play and gather. Schools can offer a safe place for children and their families to play and engage in physical activity. It is crucial for children to have the opportunity and encouragement by having access to facilities like schoolyards. The American Heart Association emphasizes this point by highlighting research which has shown that lower-income people who live near parks or recreational facilities exercise 38% more than people who do not have easy access to such facilities (American Heart Association, 2014). It is common for schools to close to the public after hours and on the weekends for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, liability and maintenance. However, The San Francisco Unified School District and the City and County of San Francisco decided to open the doors of numerous schoolyards to the community. The Shared School Yard Project has made this possible through turning their passion into action. 

With 28 public schools enrolled and interest continuing to grow, community members will play a central role in helping the program succeed. Please join the San Francisco Shared Schoolyard Project, September 26 at Bret Harte Elementary School for an exciting kick-off celebration marking the opening of the school’s playground on weekends. 

Don't miss out on the fun and a chance to show your support for open schoolyards across San Francisco! Here are the details for the celebration:

I will be at this event, along with many events in the future, representing the American Heart Association's Simple Cooking With Heart program. I will be tabling and conducting cooking demonstrations for children and their families. I would be thrilled if you could come show your support. Please feel free to invite your friends and family. We want to spread awareness to as many people as possible. 

Can't join us at Bret Harte Elementary School? See a list of upcoming events here: http://www.sfsharedschoolyard.org/events

Follow The Shared Schoolyard Project on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sfsharedschoolyard 
& Twitter https://twitter.com/SFSharedSchools

Thank you & looking forward, 

Katie Wilks 



References

American Heart Association. (2014). Shared use agreements: Sharing school recreational facilities with the community. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@adv/documents/downloadable/ucm_461121.pdf