The National League of Cities (NLC) has recognized Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the City’s Shape Up Somerville strategy for recent completion of key health and wellness goals for Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC). LMCTC is a major component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s comprehensive Let’s Move! initiative, which is dedicated to solving the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.

“Local elected officials play a critical role in addressing childhood obesity in our country and communities, and we commend those leaders being recognized for their achievements in taking action to improve healthy eating and physical activity in their communities,” said NLC President Marie Lopez Rogers, mayor of Avondale, AZ.

Three medals – two gold and one silver – were awarded to Shape Up Somerville for action taken to improve access to healthy affordable food and increase opportunities for physical activity. Medals were awarded for Shape Up Somerville’s achievements in the areas of early childhood nutrition programs; universal free breakfast and free/reduced lunch programs in all public schools; and a model food and nutrition service program.

In the ten years since its inception, Shape Up Somerville has been successfully integrated into every aspect of municipal policy-making, from recreation programming and parks expansion to school food services, and from urban agriculture and farmers markets programs to transit-, pedestrian-, and bike-friendly development strategies.  Through the partnership with LMCTC and the support of the National League of Cities and First Lady Michelle Obama, recent accomplishments have included securing interagency collaboration, through Head Start, to build a Family Learning Collaborative and health food program for preschool students; offering universal free breakfast to students in grades K-8, with the addition of fresh salad bars in all schools by the end of the 2013-14 school year; and the creation of policies and ordinances around school recess, urban agriculture and zoning, multimodal transit options (including painting more than 30 miles of bike lanes in the last three years and a regional bike share program), and increasing numbers of play spaces for resident of all ages.

“In Somerville, every policy decision we make is guided by one orienting value:  making our community an exceptional place to live, work, play and raise a family.  Our work on core issues such as increasing access to fresh, wholesome foods and opportunities for physical activity has helped us to cultivate a healthier, happier, and more productive community.” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “With the support of First Lady Michelle Obama and LMCTC, we continue to make great progress in all of these areas, and we are honored to again be awarded for our efforts at the local level.”

All LMCTC sites have the opportunity to earn up to five gold medals, one for each actionable goal they commit to as part of the initiative. The five goal areas are:

• Goal I: Start Early, Start Smart: Promoting best practices for nutrition, physical activity, and screen time in early care and education settings
• Goal II: My Plate, Your Place: Prominently displaying MyPlate in all municipal or county venues where food is served
• Goal III: Smart Servings for Students: Increasing participation in school breakfast and lunch programs
• Goal IV: Model Food Service: Implementing healthy and sustainable food service guidelines that are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• Goal V: Active Kids at Play: Increasing opportunities for physical activity

The National League of Cities (NLC) is the lead collaborating partner on this initiative, working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Association of Counties, and other nonprofit organizations, in assisting local elected officials to implement policy and environmental changes to prevent childhood obesity. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has awarded NLC a grant to provide technical assistance to local elected officials working to create healthier communities and prevent childhood obesity, including sites participating in LMCTC.

More than 370 cities, towns and counties are participating in LMCTC. Each month, NLC recognizes local elected officials who achieve key benchmarks for the five LMCTC goals. To date, NLC has awarded 1,274 bronze, silver, and gold medals to recognize local elected officials across the country for their progress.

For more information about LMCTC and Shape Up Somerville’s accomplishments, visit http://www.healthycommunitieshealthyfuture.org/.

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.