The SALUD Initiative

The SALUD Initiative, Safe and Active Living United Districts, encourageds Santa Ana residents, from children to senior citizens, to take better care of their neighborhoods and their health. The program has brings together the city's parks and recreation department, neighborhood associations and volunteers to restore open space and promote active living in the community. The program began in 2005 when the Madison Park Neighborhood Association approached the city with concerns that the area around an existing paved trail was covered with graffiti and served as a gathering place for the homeless. The city's response was to help develop a neighborhood committee to consider safety issues and restore the path as a vital greenway. A unique feature of this program is Parks Agency staff's direct work with community members to address their concerns about the environment and to organize activities that respond to their needs and interests. The SALUD Initiative has expanded to the include other Santa Anita neighborhoods.

The goal of the program is to restore open space and promote active living in the community.

The SALUD initiative began by painting over graffiti and planting trees along the paved trail in the Madison Park neighborhood with the help of over 100 volunteers. The initiative has started a weekly walking club for neighbors, conducted a walk-a-thon to promote physical activity, and staged a health fair that included health testing, a bicycle raffle and information about local community organization. To promote physical activity, the initiative has formed a mountain biking club for kids, a Seniors-On-The-Go initiative, and an aerobics class four mornings each week that provides free child care and healthy snacks at the end of each session.