Project: Operation Wellness
Organization: Ball State University
Muncie, IN
Written by Carol Friesen, Associate Professor, Ball State University

Sounds of Operation Wellness

The sun set slowly over the fields of golden wheat in this small, rural midwestern community. Dinners were taken out from ovens across the county and placed on tables laden with mashed potatoes, bread, butter, pickles, corn, roast beef, cherry pie, milk, lemonade, and soda.  Another day in this farming community is nearly done.  The bus picked the children up by 8:00 and brought them home by 4:00 where they spent theremainder of the afternoon sitting at the table doing their homework.  And then, when all the equations were complete and the words spelled correctly, the boys and girls of Wells County scurried to turn on their television sets, their GameBoys, their Play Station 2’s, and their Xbox’s.  The farmers in the county had spent their day driving their air-conditioned tractors as they sprayed their fall crops for the last time.  Those who made their living in the factories and businesses drove to work, parking as close as they could to the building and set about to complete their jobs for that day, most behind a desk and using a computer.  These days are so much easier than the days of their ancestors who worked the same fields and factories, and who walked to school and came home to complete their chores.  So much easier…. 

But an easier life has its downfalls.  Eating the same types and amounts of foods as our ancestors who worked the fields and walked to school and who did chores for hours before the sun set has resulted in a tremendous number of people in our community who are not as healthy as they could be.  A snapshot of people in Wells county includes Tina who was told her blood cholesterol was dangerously high and Marcia whose doctor was concerned about her osteoporosis.

The children in our community were having their difficulties, too. Dustin was an enthusiastic first grader – but, being extremely overweight, he had a hard time keeping up with his friends.  Charlie, an overweight 12-year-old, was having a very difficult time connecting with teachers and school activities.  It seems he was always in trouble…and you’d be hard pressed to say he had any friends in school. 

Something had to happen in this wonderful community….something needed to change…but who would step up?  Who could coordinate the energy and effort needed to change the culture of a community??

In 2002, the answer became clear at a series of town hall meetings set up by the Caylor Nickel Foundation.  Citizens from every walk of life met to talk about what could be done to foster a healthier community.  Ball State University partnered with the community in their efforts.  Operation Wellness was born thanks to a successful Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Initiative Funding Partners grant.  Under the careful direction of Nedra Steury and her staff, programs were developed, classes were offered, and teachers were hired to provide opportunities for citizens of all ages to get off the couch and on their feet! 

The schools and a local hospital opened their recreation facilities for aerobics, weight lifting, circuit training, basketball, volleyball, line dancing, walking clubs, yoga, body toning, tobacco freedom, social dancing, square dancing, chair aerobics and rehab swimming.  Healthy cooking classes, grocery store tours, and weight loss classes were held.  Community walks were organized.  Worksite wellness initiatives were planned.  Thirty-six “Dump Your Plump” weight loss teams from competing businesses were formed – and together have lost over one TON of weight over the past two years alone!

It doesn’t stop there!  Youth activities were planned for after school and during the summer months.  Members of the Mileage Club, an after-school walking program, have taken enough steps to march across the United States and back at least four times already!  Jump Into Fitness (JIF), Yoga, fitness walking, drama, tumbling/cheerleading, Core 101, dodge ball, and tae kwon do classes were offered for school age children.  AHA Kids Camp -- Artistic Healthy Active Kids Camp-- was offered every summer for two weeks.  For parents and their preschoolers, Toddlers On The Move and tumbling classes were held.  Dream Team t-ball, bowling and music were offered for handicapped youth and their parents. 

Through hard work, collaboration with many community partners, a fair amount of publicity, and a lot of sweat, slowly the community is being transformed from couch potatoes into jumping beans!  The culture within the community is changing…No more donuts in the police station.  No smoking in seven restaurants, no junk foods for sale in the school cafeteria or vending machines, and the changes continue…

And our people?  Tina, after changing her diet and walking three-to-four times a week with her walking club, has reduced her cholesterol by 34 points.  In her words, “I’m proof that, like you always say in the paper, small changes can make a huge difference in one’s health.”  Marcia, the woman whose doctor was concerned about osteoporosis, has become a committed attendee of our Body Toning and Low Impact Aerobics classes and as a result, she has increased her bone density.  Her doctor told Marcia “she could be a poster child for the Operation Wellness program.”  But according to Marcia, “the new acquaintances and new friendships have been a fringe benefit of the Operation Wellness classes.  Giving encouragement to one another has been very important. Our group is concerned if one of us isn’t there and checks on us.  Isn’t that what ‘community’ is all about?”
 
And our children?  Dustin, the enthusiastic overweight first grader is now walking 3 miles per hour…and he has lost weight.  And Charlie, who was having a very difficult time connecting with other kids, the teachers, and the concept of school?  Well, no one can quite believe the difference in this young man.  He is more confident, has made new friends, and his discipline problems are much better.  His goal for this year?  To walk 100 miles.

The sun set again today over the fields rich with autumn’s harvest.  The soybeans glistened like gold in the setting sun.  The corn stalks rustled in the breeze.  But tonight there was another sound.  A rustling sound…footsteps crunching the leaves as a group of neighbors walked down the street.  They passed children jumping rope…and neighbors driving to the school’s gym to work out….sounds of crunching as carrots and apples were bitten into for snacks…..sounds of a community making a difference for their health.  Sounds of Operation Wellness.

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