“Change occurs when there’s an element of community involved and we can support one another,” said Eboni Bugg of The Women’s Initiative Walk It Out campaign. The Women’s Initiative will host weekday walking groups at the Jefferson School City Center. The walking groups will focus on building community and providing mutual support while relieving stress.
“The Jefferson School City Center engagement team was adamant about identifying opportunities to bring health and wellness to this community. Walking is a free, low-impact way to gradually improve one’s health,” said Bugg.
Walk it Out will kick off on Saturday, March 30 from 2 to 4 pm at Martha Jefferson’s Starr Hill Health Center at the Jefferson School. Joining the event will be Mark Lorenzoni of the Charlottesville Ten-Miler training program and Ragged Mountain Running Shop; Nurse Practitioner Miranda Trent from Martha Jefferson’s Starr Hill Health Center; and Mike Inge, yoga instructor from Common Ground Healing Arts. They will provide tips for training and staying motivated and provide a stretching demonstration.
“It’s difficult to make healthy changes. But, we can support one another and motivate one another. Our route will begin at the Jefferson School City Center and will travel through 10th and Page, Fifeville, and Westhaven,” said Bugg. “While the exercise will energize us, the most important part is building community.”
Individuals can sign up for a walking group with routes starting from the Jefferson School City Center by contacting Eboni Bugg, LCSW, at 434-202-7692 or ebugg@thewomensinitiative.org.
Bookmobile at the Jefferson School City Center
The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s Bookmobile will be at the Jefferson School City Center on 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. The bookmobile has its own collection and carries 1800 to 2000 books to each stop. Patrons can place holds on materials and pick them up at their respective stops. Patrons may also request materials on particular subjects to be delivered to a patron’s stop. Materials borrowed from the bookmobile may be returned to any JMRL location and materials from other JMRL locations may be returned to the bookmobile.
The bookmobile sits low to the ground and has a ramp instead of steps to make it easily accessible. It brings library services to many people in our community who would not have access otherwise. The bookmobile service is frequently used by the seniors at JABA’s Mary Williams Community Center at the Jefferson School City Center.
Diabetes screening a success
Thirty-seven individuals took advantage of the free blood sugar screening on Diabetes Awareness Day on March 26. The free service was offered at The Jefferson School City Center by Martha Jefferson’s Starr Hill Health Center. Diabetes is a disease that affects about 27 million Americans, or 8.3% of the U.S. population. The screening enabled people to check for potential signs of the disease.
“Seventeen percent of those we screened were found to be at risk for diabetes. That means we attracted the people we wanted to attract— people at risk at a higher rate than the American Diabetes Association estimate,” said Jackie Martin, Starr Hill Health Center Director.
Rita P. Smith, registered dietician with Martha Jefferson, also met with many individuals interested in learning about food choices that can affect blood sugar levels.
Child Care at the Jefferson School City Center
The YMCA child care facility at the Jefferson School City Center offers many scholarships to families needing low-cost childcare. Scholarships are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
B.B.’s Kids Scholarship Fund at the YMCA helps enable children to receive affordable quality child care. It is named after Barbara Brown, a former child care center director who believes no child should be turned away because of income. For more information on childcare scholarships, contact Ikea Prince, kprince@piedmontymca.org.
Free Roller Skating at Carver Rec
Free Roller Skating time is offered at Carver Recreation on most Friday evenings from 5 to 8 pm and Sunday afternoons from 1 to 6 pm. Skates are provided or patrons are welcome to bring their own skates or rollerblades. However, on Friday, April 5, Roller Skating will begin at 6 pm instead of 5 pm due to another scheduled event.
Holiday Closing
The Jefferson School City Center will be closed on Easter Sunday.
Jefferson School City Center is a voice of the nine nonprofits located at Charlottesville’s intergenerational community center, the restored Jefferson School. We are a legacy preserved . . . a soul reborn . . . in the heart of Cville!
