'Active Communities' conference scheduled March 22

OXFORD HILLS —  A free conference offering information on transforming towns into Active Communities will be held March 22 at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. 

According to Brendan Schauffler of Healthy Oxford Hills, the Western Maine Active Communities Conference will take place from 12:30-5:30 p.m. and feature speakers from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and the Maine Center for Disease Control. 

The goal of the conference is to provide business owners, town managers, elected officials, students, school board members, school faculty and other professionals in the fields of economic development, public health and public safety to discuss ways to transform their towns into "active communities." 

"We have people from western Maine who will be sharing their success stories in terms of community advocacy efforts," Schauffler said, including "the work they've done on trails and the work they've done on physical activity in general." 

Anyone else interested in improving their community is also invited to attend, said Schauffler.

He urges people to register for the event ahead of time. It can be done through the Healthy Oxford Hills website: www. healthyoxfordhills.org. 

Increase activity

Schauffler said HOH has received a Western Maine Community Transformation Grant to work on increasing physical activity in southern Oxford County. 

He said part of HOH's efforts involve putting together Active Community Environments (ACEs) in different areas of Oxford Hills. 

ACEs, according to Schauffler, are places where people of all ages and ability have the opportunity to live, work and play in a place which enables physical activity – particularly walking and biking. 

"We're looking to share the idea that there is real value behind making your community a place where it's easy to be physically active," Schauffler explained.

ACEs also aim at providing quality connections between homes, workplaces, schools or village centers, with sidewalks, safe roads for biking, multi-use paths and trails, parks and open spaces and facilities for recreation, according to the WMAC website. 

In a nutshell, ACEs create a "vibrant community atmosphere that enables healthy lifestyles, social interaction, environmental quality and economic prosperity." 

He said he hopes the conference will inspire attendees and teach them that "with hard work and perseverance you can make incredible things happen for your community." 

The conference is a collaborative effort between the Oxford County Active Community Environmental Teams (ACET), part of the Oxford County Wellness Collaborative, and the Western Maine Community Transformation Grant Program, a public health partnership devoted to increasing physical activity in Oxford, Franklin and Androscoggin counties.

The ACET group, according to Schauffler, is a dedicated core of individuals across the county working to improve opportunities for active living. 

Lead coordination of the conference is provided by HOH. For more information, contact Brendan Schauffler at 739-6222 or brendan@healthyoxfordhills.org. 

Edited on March 20 to correct the phone number at which to reach Brendan.