Victoria Barajas was stressed. "Everybody was struggling with the pandemic and with unemployment," she says. "Everything was scary." Barajas herself had been laid off from her temporary job when businesses in San Diego shut down in 2020. So, she hiked up Cowles Mountain. It was important to stay active, and being in nature soothed her.
She asked others at Las Serenas Apartments, where she's lived for five years, if they wanted to join her, remaining physically distant. A few went; one woman became a regular hiking partner. "Hiking became our favorite outdoor activity to keep our community strong and healthy while the storm passed away."
Barajas says she fell in love with Cowles Mountain. "From the top, you can see the ocean on one side, green mountains on the other."
Getting together for fitness wasn't new for residents of Las Serenas and others at properties owned by San Diego's Community HousingWorks (CHW), a NeighborWorks network organization. Two years ago, at a NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute (CLI), a cohort from CHW came back with a plan: They would start a nutrition and health group to promote a healthier lifestyle. Participants met every two weeks, lifting each other up and cheering each other on, says Denise Obrero, director of programs.
Community members embraced tips on the right foods to eat and new ways to exercise. A NeighborWorks CLI grant paid for small blenders, and they traded recipes for juices and smoothies. "One participant lost 45 pounds," Obrero says.
Karen Sanchez, community building coordinator, was one of the leaders of the group, which continued to meet. During the pandemic, they shifted to monthly online meetings. They shared resources. But some residents wanted more. They missed the interaction.
That's when Barajas, a resident leader who had attended the CLI in Texas, put forth the idea of a walking club. "I did it myself one weekend," Sanchez says. At other complexes, similar groups formed. At a complex in National City with more than 200 CHW apartments, seniors worked on an outdoor garden during the pandemic. When they heard about the walking club, they started walking along the paths that cut through the garden. The resident-led walking groups have worked so well that the San Diego nonprofit is branching out with related projects.
They're creating a Walking Club brochure, which will have maps of parks and areas to walk. And they're using an app called Strava, which keeps track of their walking steps and bicycle miles.
CHW also decided to put walking at the center of NeighborWorks Week, held the first full week in June each year. On June 5, they hosted a Remembrance Walk. So many community members have lost people they've loved to COVID-19, Obrero says, so they asked community members to each walk in honor of someone special. It fit in well with the 2021 NeighborWorks Week theme of unity and resilience, she says. Participants linked together virtually, through the app, posting photos and talking about loved ones. CHW delivered water bottles and other items to the walkers.
"That's the beauty of technology," Obrero says. "During the pandemic, managing 40 communities in the state of California, we know having resident-driven activities is critical." Staff have continued to set up food drop-offs and other services for residents, but they were physically on-site much less these past 12 months. Residents who had been active in the community before the pandemic stepped in. "It's crucial to our mission to create a sense of belonging. We know, whether you're a senior or you're 25, getting outdoors and in nature for just a little while, we all feel better at the end of the day."
Sanchez says taking it outside has been a great way to stay together when community centers closed. "These residents were engaged, not just with healthy habits, but they wanted to continue this sense of being together, of exercising. It's good for health. And it's a good way to reconnect."
06/11/2021
