Bloomington Parks and Recreation, Girl Scouts Unveil Bfit Exercise Program on the Jackson Creek Trail

[Lucy Anderson (L) and Anneka Nelson Laird|image:23650,right]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2015

For more information, please contact:
Lucy Anderson, Girl Scout Troop 69273, 812.360.6090
Anneka Nelson Laird, Girl Scout Troop 69273, 812.322.5039

Bloomington, Ind.-Girl Scout Troop 69723 and partner Bloomington Parks and Recreation celebrate the installation of the BFit exercise program on the Jackson Creek Trail at 4 p.m. May 22 at Sherwood Oaks Park, 1600 E. Elliston Dr.

Lucy Anderson and Anneka Nelson Laird, both Girl Scouts with Troop 69273, created the BFit program to complete their Girl Scout Silver Award.

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the second highest award a Girl Scout can earn. Scouts must each spend 50+ hours working on a project to earn this award. The project must be sustainable and benefit others for a long time.

"If this project does well, Parks and Recreation can implement the BFit program on other trails in Bloomington," Anderson said.

Reflecting on the process of earning this award, Nelson Laird said, "I think this helped me feel more confident about what I can do in the future and how much potential I have to make the world a better place."

Both Anderson and Nelson Laird conceptualized the idea of being active and fit, and brought their proposal to the Parks and Recreation Department, where they collaborated with several staff members to make the project a reality. Alison Miller, Health and Wellness Coordinator with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, was the primary contact for the BFit program.

"The Parks and Recreation Department is delighted to work with Anneka and Lucy on this Girl Scout project that will benefit all users of the Jackson Creek Trail for years to come," Miller said. "The Girl Scouts organization and the Parks and Recreation Department both advocate for people to take charge of their health by leading healthy, active lifestyles, and the BFit project the girls developed for the trail is a positive contribution to that end."

Small, unobtrusive QR codes located on sign posts along the Jackson Creek Trail can be scanned by trail users with any smartphone scanning app. The QR codes link to short exercise videos, featuring personal trainers from the Twin Lakes Recreation Center, who explain and demonstrate easy stretching, cardio, and strength building exercises.

For more information about the Jackson Creek Trail, or about the B Fit program celebration on May 22, contact Alison Miller at 812.349.3771 or milleal@bloomington.in.gov.

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