The National League of Cities (NLC) has recognized the City of Oakland Park for achieving 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 comprehensiveLet’s Move! initiative to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.

In a July 10 event at the White House, Oakland Park was awarded six medals for efforts to improve access to healthy affordable food and increase opportunities for physical activity, including a Gold medal recognizing the City’s mapping of all play spaces, completing a needs assessment of play spaces, and developing and launching an action plan to increase children’s access to physical activities.

“Our City staff does a fantastic job to ensure Oakland Park generates successful outcomes with our variety of outstanding recreation, athletic and education programs we provide the children in our community,” stated Mayor John Adornato III, who accepted the awards on behalf of the City.

Oakland Park offers a vast array of youth programs throughout the year, including baseball, basketball, flag football, kickball, open gym, pickleball, soccer, softball, summer camp and tennis, according to the City’s interim Parks and Leisure Services Director Lance Moll.

Moll added that the City actively champions federally-sponsored nutrition programs with more than 3,100 school children participating in the National Lunch Program and more than 10,000 nutritionally-balanced lunches and snacks provided via Oakland Park summer camp program.

“Thank you for everything you’re doing for our young people, said Michelle Obama at the event. “Thank you for all the work that you do day in and day out to make your communities stronger and healthier.”

The five goal areas of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative are:

Start Early, Start Smart:
Promoting best practices for nutrition, physical activity, and screen time in early care and education settings

My Plate, Your Place:
Prominently displaying MyPlate in all municipal or county venues where food is served

Smart Servings for Students:
Increasing participation in school breakfast and lunch programs

Model Food Service:
Implementing healthy and sustainable food service guidelines that are aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Active Kids at Play:
Increasing opportunities for physical activity

“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.

The National League of Cities is the lead collaborating partner on this initiative, working with the U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services, the U.S. D epartment 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.

Oakland Park is one of more than 330 cities, towns and counties participating in LMCTC. Each month, NLC recognizes local elected officials who achieve key benchmarks for the five LMCTC goals. To date, NLC has awarded 1,019 bronze, silver, and gold medals to recognize local elected officials across the country for their progress.

For more information about LMCTC and Oakland Park’s accomplishments, visit www.HealthyCommunitiesHealthyFuture.org.