Twining Park Fitness Stations
The group fundraised over $20,000 for the purchase and installation of 5 fitness stations in Twining Park. These fitness stations will have instructional signs that guide people to do a variety of fitness exercises and there are options for logging workouts on your mobile phone. A local fitness instructor has indicated that he will be integrating them into his fitness classes; it looks like the YMCA and high school may also integrate this into what they offer. Either way, these stations will be completely free and accessible to people looking for a more structured way to work out outside — or to incorporate a variety of exercises while they walk or run in the park. 

The community partner for this project is the City of Monroe Parks and Recreation Department. Marge Klinzing, the Recreation Director, says “We appreciate the Green County Leaders choosing to install an outdoor exercise circuit in Twining Park. This facility will have a positive impact on youth and adults and is a great addition to our park system. We have enjoyed working with the group on this.” 

Mental Health Resource Fair & Resource Guide
The group increased the marketing and vendors at the wellness fair held by the Monticello School District and packaged their marketing materials for fair organizers in coming years. They also created a resource guide providing information on mental health resources in Green County. This guide is geared towards audiences such as teachers, pastors, etc who frequently work with people who may have such challenges but not know what resources are available to assist them. This resource guide was explicitly recognized as a need for Green County communities by the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) Mental Health Group, which has committed to annually updating the resource guide and serving as the “home” for this resource. The GCL project group provided the CHIP Mental Health Group with information that they used to create the guide and efficient strategies for updating and distributing the guide. Anecdotally, health professionals at Monroe Clinic have already found this guide useful. 

Telehealth and Mental Health Capacity Building Needs Survey
This group started by researching options and resources Green County would need to develop a telehealth network to increase access to mental health care, particularly for underserved populations. They interviewed many stakeholders and learned about different resources and then identified the options to developing such a network and the existing resources in the community. This information was then presented to the CHIP Mental Health Group. Their discussions and research helped lay a foundation for understanding how this strategy could be implemented in Green County — including what is needed to make this reality. They also made various stakeholders aware, through their discussions, of assets and resources available through different community stakeholders. The group then surveyed stakeholders who deal with mental health issues — medical professionals, pastors, teachers, etc — to identify where these groups felt a need to increase their capacity to handle mental health issues. This information was provided to the CHIP Mental Health Group, which is using it to put together capacity building events based on the work of the GCL group. As the CHIP Mental Health Group leaders say, “nothing like [this project] existed before for mental health related services for our area. This was needed and is already useful.”

Monroe Farmers’ Market
This group has worked to strengthen the Monroe Farmers’ Market. Organizationally, they’ve worked with the Monroe Chamber and Monroe Main Street to have the Farmers’ Market go back under the Main Street umbrella. This gives them 501(c)3 status and therefore increases the amount of funding/grant opportunities they are eligible for and increases the ease with which they can co-market events. They have also worked to get a paid market coordinator position; they have developed a job position for this and are currently in the process of hiring for this position. The group also worked to increase marketing, both to buyers and to vendors. They have helped attract additional vendors and, by tracking numbers, so far this year compared to last year it appears they have had success in doing so. They have also worked at increasing marketing efforts — they have revived the market Facebook page, designed a new logo, created marketing materials such as refrigerator magnets, and worked on identifying potential family-friendly entertainment options that the market can partner with. The group also assisted the vendors in tracking market expenses so they have a better idea of the amount of money it takes to run the market on an annual basis. Finally, the group has assisted the market in making arrangements to accept FoodShare benefits. 

As Jordan Nordby, Executive Director of Main Street Monroe said, “The group that worked on the Farmers Market was exemplary. They had a clear vision of what the market needed to grow and better serve the community. The scope of the project was large and they have made a real positive impact.”