We are very pleased to report that our city of Lawrence, MA was one of the eight winners of the 2015 RWJF Culture of Health Prize awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Prize celebrates the strides communities have made to ensure good health flourishes for all. Announced today at RWJF headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, the Lawrence community will receive a cash prize of $25,000 in recognition of its commitment to building a Culture of Health. Lawrence is being recognized for leveraging its unique strengths and rallying community partners around a shared vision of health. Efforts include: *Linking parents to workforce development opportunities and other community services that contribute to a family’s well-being and success through the Family Resource Center. *Recruiting and educating family physicians through the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s physician residency program – an innovative 4-year program that has led to a significant number of doctors remaining in the community after graduation. *Revitalizing the landscape by restoring old textile mills along the Merrimack River into affordable family homes and transforming a trash-strewn riverfront into the Spicket River Greenway—a multipurpose path connecting some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods to parks, downtown and other critical amenities. *Investing and empowering a new generation of young leaders through various programs including the Mayor’s Health Task Force’s Lawrence Youth Council, the Groundwork Lawrence’s Green Team and Lawrence CommunityWorks’ Movement City. Lawrence’s application for the highly competitive RWJF Culture of Health Prize was submitted by the YWCA of Greater Lawrence in partnership with the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, Groundwork Lawrence, and the ValleyWorks Career Center. The community was selected from more than 340 prize applications across the country. The other seven winning communities are Bridgeport, Connecticut; Bronx, New York; Everett, Massachusetts; Kansas City, Missouri; Menominee Nation in northeastern Wisconsin; Spartanburg County, South Carolina, and Waaswaaganing Anishinaabeg (Lac du Flambeau Tribe),Wisconsin. Please refer to the Award Page for more information on this exciting announcement. Award Press Release View Award Page
