March 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 15

IDEAS

Birth of an Idea
How Be Fit McLean! came to be

ometimes, even when we
know what we want, getting there can be another matter. More than two years ago,
McLean Community Center (MCC), an agency within the Fairfax
County (Virginia ) Park Authority, knew
it needed to bolster its role in promoting
a healthier community. About that time,
NRPA launched a public health and fitness
initiative to promote programs among
agencies. That sparked something with
MCC's new director, George Sachs. And
with that connection an ambitious health
and fitness undertaking was born.
" I wanted to grasp that and carry it forward as something worthwhile, " Sachs
says of what he learned from NRPA. " I
also wanted it to be an ongoing thing, not
just a one-time event. "
Sachs and his staff worked and reworked the concept, eventually settling
on the tagline, " Be Fit McLean! " " It opens
it up to all aspects of healthy lifestyles and
what we're trying to promote-being active and getting out. "
In 2010, MCC launched the concept with a health fair offering screenings and information. It went over well,
but follow-up surveys with community
members indicated a greater interest
in the outdoors. That's when Sachs decided that the 2011 edition would " promote what we have around us in an
outdoor setting and how to be active in
the outdoors. "
Thus, Be Fit McLean! Outdoor Adventure and Fitness Expo debuted February
26. The free, one-day event offered information and interactive displays on a variety of activities aimed at individuals and
families: hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, and mountain climbing, among
others. MCC also didn't lack for exhibitors: REI, Blue Ridge Outdoors, National
Outdoor Leadership School, Sportrock,

Chesapeake Paddlers Association, Adventure Links, Northern Virginia Disc
Golf Club, and Calleva Outdoor Adventures, among others.
In addition to an adaptive sports component for disabled persons and a river
sports program for current and veteran
military members, Be Fit McLean! had
an outdoor cooking competition sponsored by REI.
" We realized that right around us in
our area there is so
much available: Great
Falls, the mountains,
trails for hiking and
biking-and we want-

of every department within the community center, from marketing and communications to event planning. " It's very time
consuming, but breaking it up across
teams is what makes this thing come together, " Brookes says. " It's more than one
person can do in a year. So, it definitely
takes a team. "
Given McLean's affluent and populous
location just outside Washington, D.C.,
Be Fit McLean! has the potential to draw
well beyond its 18,000
households. That's what
happened several years
ago when the community center launched

ed to encompass all that, " Sachs says.
" People need to know what's available
out there. Even a simple fishing trip that
engages the whole family. "
Planning and executing Be Fit McLean!
fell to the community center's director of intergenerational programs, Ryan
Brookes. Brookes explains that from the
start, the event required the participation

McLean Day, an event that grew so much
it had to be relocated to a nearby park.
Brookes says Be Fit McLean! has that
same potential and will become a recurring annual event.
It's an idea that grew from an idea, promoting health and fitness from the national level down to localities.
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-Phil Hayward

Parks & Recreation

March 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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