Great Start Early Childhood Collaborative, Norte! both Community Health Heroes
Munson Medical Center today recognized the founders of two community organizations dedicated to area youth.
Community Health Hero Awards were presented to Great Start Early Childhood Collaborative Executive Director Mary Manner and Norte! founder Ty Schmidt for their community efforts to advance the health of area children.
The Great Start Early Childhood Collaborative partners with the Traverse City Intermediate School District and other organizations to focus on children and their families from prenatal care through age 5. Part of its goal is to increase access to affordable, early care and learning options for children. It also works to provide family-friendly best practices for employers that can positively impact the workforce and benefit area businesses.
Norte! is a youth-focused nonprofit agency dedicated to helping develop a happy, healthy, and strong generation of youth through bicycles. The organization has created Safe Routes to School, a program in partnership with Traverse City Area Public Schools to encourage children to bike to school. Other programs include Fridays Fantastico, The Great Traverse City Bike Train Experiment, Winter Walk Wednesdays, Bike2Bus, and the Norte! Bike Library among others. These programs promote fitness, cycling, and a sense of community.
The awards were presented by the Munson Medical Center Community Health Committee.
“The Great Start Early Childhood Collaborative and Norte! have both created innovative programs to improve the health of our region’s youth,” said Jill Volbrecht, M.D., chair of the Munson Medical Center Community Health Committee. “We are very pleased to honor them and recognize their contributions that are creating a healthier community.”
Read more about past Community Health Heroes.