A diverse group of partners in South Los Angeles recently broke ground on a new Wellness Center and healing garden to serve Los Angeles Unified School District students and the surrounding community.

DeKalb County is working toward a healthier community with smokefree parks adn public spaces, safe routes for biking and walking, and improved access to fresh fruits and vegetables for schoolchildren and adults.

Local North Carolina-grown fruits and vegetables will be more available, especially to rural communities and low-income residents through new farmers' markets. Teenagers picking up a quick afterschool snack will find healthy items at the convenience store. Children will participate in child-care programs with more physical activity. Mothers will be encouraged and provided the support necessary to breast-feed. Residents will take advantage of new shared-use agreements to exercise at facilities throughout the community.

• In Wood County, 19 new gardens have been created at childcare centers serving 1,800 children. The gardens support early learning about healthy eating and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• More than 200 second- through fourth-grade students at 10 Wood County elementary schools participated in Fit-tastic, an eight-week afterschool program that helped them develop healthier eating and physical-activity habits.

This community-driven project engaged a variety of age groups in revitalizing Hunting Park to prevent violence and promote healthy food access through a new community garden and farmers market.

The Communities United for Health coalition formed to create a "healthy zone" in the Shawnee neighborhood by limiting alcohol and tobacco promotional signage, increase adequate lighting, and decrease graffiti to positively influence perceptions of safety.

This project developed a healthy local food system that addressed underlying inequities that contributed to violence in the underserved Westwood community of Denver.

A pilot program to Prevent Violence and Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living focuses on influencing infrastructure and landscaping improvements to improve the health and safety for all residents.

"Right to Breathe" is an effort to educate Nevadans about smokefree air in Nevada and its potential impact on health, local businesses, and the state economy.

How communities are designed and function can promote -- or restrict -- physical activity and access to healthy, affordable food options for children and adults. Part of the Healthy, Active Multnomah County "It Starts Here" initiative aims to encourage the community opportunities for kids to be active before, during and after school.