Wellness grants were awarded to 28 successful applicants who are working to improve wellness in their communities, Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie said today.“We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our call for wellness grants,” said Minister Currie. “Over 200 not-for-profit and non-government organizations, communities, post-secondary institutions, home and school associations and community groups applied with innovative ideas to incorporate one or more of the five pillars of our wellness strategy into their projects.”

Prince Edward Island’s Wellness Strategy, launched in January 2015, provides Islanders with opportunities to improve their overall health. The three-year strategy is based on input from Islanders who agreed on five priority areas to improve wellness in the province: mental health, physical activity, healthy eating, living tobacco-free and consuming alcohol responsibly.

“The projects receiving wellness grants are from across Prince Edward Island, include all age groups and align with our Wellness Strategy priorities,” said Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison. “We know that community-led initiatives support wellness outcomes, building on the strides we have already made.”

One of the successful wellness grant applicants is the Pathways Youth Program in Charlottetown. The Pathways Youth Program works to build confidence in youth through a supportive peer environment. The program operates annually and is free to youth ages 12 to 17.

“This year we made adaptations to our program to integrate all five of the Wellness Strategy pillars,” said Pathways Co-Coordinator Murray McInnis. “Thanks to this wellness grant we were able to purchase healthier food for breakfast and lunch. By providing access to physical and social activities our inner city youth had an opportunity to be engaged with the community and to learn more through participation and teamwork.”

The list of successful applicants and more information on the provincial wellness strategy can be found at www.gov.pe.ca/health/wellnessgrantrecipients2015.

Wellness Grants Backgrounder

Wellness grants focus on the provincial Wellness Strategy’s five pillars:

1. Physical activity and reduction in sedentary behavior

2. Living tobacco free

3. Health eating

4. Consuming alcohol responsibly and

5. Mental health

Wellness grants have been awarded to 28 projects that create, further strengthen or revitalize community partnerships and demonstrate alignment to one of more of the goals outlined in the PEI Wellness Strategy.

Organizations were asked to submit an on-line wellness grant application. Projects were eligible for up to $5,000 and had to be completed by March 2016.

Applications were first screened against the program’s eligibility criteria. Projects that met the eligibility criteria were assessed by an adjudication committee using a standardized score sheet. Seven members of the adjudication committee represent the five pillars of the wellness strategy.

Projects were scored based on the following: impact, partners, sustainability, target, alignment with the wellness strategy pillars, timelines, budget, realistic activities and achievable outcomes.

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