ECC Honored for Support of Community Health Initiative

From left are Edgecombe Community College and Catalyst for Healthy Eating and Active Living representatives Kathy Webb, ShaCoria Winston, Mary Stocks, Michael Starling, Julie Thomas, Derrick Haskins, Jennifer Norville, Jamie Cousins, Rhonda Wells, and Brittany Harrelson.

The Catalyst for Healthy Eating and Active Living program recently recognized Edgecombe Community College for its role in helping to improve the health of area residents.

Catalyst Director Jamie Cousins and several members of the Catalyst team met with ECC officials on November 13 to thank the College for housing a Catalyst coordinator on the Tarboro campus and for additional support of the program.

“We have been working with the Twin Counties since 2015, and our focus has been on making this a better place for healthy living and increasing access to healthy food and safe places to be active,” she said.

“We appreciate what Edgecombe Community College has brought to this initiative.”

Cousins shared that the Catalyst program would end later this year.

The Catalyst group also met with Nash Community College officials and other local partners to acknowledge their support and collaboration on efforts to improve healthy living in the Twin Counties.

Since 2012, the Catalyst program has worked largely behind the scenes with local partners to make lasting change in Nash and Edgecombe counties. For example, Catalyst coordinators have worked with partners to increase access to healthy foods by supporting the establishment of community gardens and farmer’s markets.

Catalyst Coordinator Derrick Haskins and Shoneca Kent also assisted in creating more opportunities for physical activity through the purchase of a fully stocked bike trailer available to schools and community groups that will teach bike and pedestrian safety, as well as helping to set up a wayfinding path in downtown Tarboro that highlights local places to be active.

The Catalyst for Healthy Eating and Active Living is a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation in partnership with the NC Division of Public Health, Community and Clinical Connections for Prevention and Health Branch. The Catalyst is funded by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and is a partner in the Trust’s Healthy Places NC initiative.

For more about the program, the Catalyst Five-Year Summary and video are available on the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation website.

For more information, contact Jamie Cousins at jamie.cousins@foundationhli.org or (919) 707-5241.