A Community on the Move: The Story of Active Ottumwa

This is the final episode of this series. To keep the project going after the research grant came to an end, Hy-Vees of Ottumwa and their dietician Becky Graeve took over the day to day Active Ottumwa operations. Listen to how this transition came about and how the program continues to maintain and grow under this new leadership. Guests: Becky Graeve, Sandy Berto, Becky Bucklin A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

Learn more about what evaluation is. Why is it necessary? How is it done? And how do researchers and community members make sense of all the data and information collected in a community engaged research study? Here are the answers to how the the Active Ottumwa team saw if the program was successful and used information collect to improve the project with input from the community. Guests: Natoshia Askelson, Heidi Haines, Becky Graeve, Sandy Berto, Becky Bucklin A transcript for this episode can be found Here. 

Listen to what the participants of Active Ottumwa programming have to say about class offerings from Tai Chi, walking groups, dance fitness, and more! Dedicated program attendees talk about how they heard about the program what activities they attended, and what kept them coming back! Guests: Jean Dell, Kathy Engel, Peggy Wixom, Sylvia Hunolt, Sandy Berto A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

“The more I reached out to the community, the more the community reached out to me.” Learn how the adaptability of Active Ottumwa and the engagement from the community from the beginning helped the program fit into Ottumwa. Guests: Barbara Baquero, Becky Graeve, Lou LaRose, Becky Bucklin, Sandy Berto A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

Ottumwa has many places to be active at, including a wonderful park and trail system, but there are also many resources at local businesses that you may not expect that were available to hold indoor activities during an Iowa winter. Learn how our program got creative to find and use these spaces to promote physical activity. Guests: Garrett Ross, Sandy Berto, and Becky Bucklin. A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

Many hands make light work.. Listen to learn about the various resources and community organizations that assisted with sharing information about Active Ottumwa. It could not have been done without community involvement! Guests: Connie Hammersly-Wilson, Barbara Baquero, Sandy Berto, and Becky Bucklin. A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

Personal and heartfelt stories are shared here about how participating in Active Ottumwa not only encouraged the PALs to be more active, but also fostered lifelong community and personal friendships that have enriched their lives by volunteering time with Active Ottumwa. Guests: Betty Panlaqui, Remi Panlaqui, Blaire Siems, Mary Hart, Joe Slaymaker, Sandy Berto, and Becky Bucklin. A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

Hear directly from a few of the Active Ottumwa PALs about why they became a PAL, what they liked about the program, and how the program lived up to what they thought the program was all about. Guests: Twila Foster, Becky Bucklin, Sandy Berto A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

The Active Ottumwa Community Advisory Board (CAB) was vital to the success of Active Ottumwa. Hear from CAB members who share the tasks and roles of the advisory board along with the challenges and successes of involving this community-based program. Guests: Himar Hernandez, Garrett Ross, Kim Hellige, Becky Bucklin, Sandy Berto A transcript for this episode can be found Here.

Listen to the research team share how the program came to be and the timeline of events that started the program off on the “right” step, including getting support from the many local organizations that participated in Active Ottumwa. Guests: Rima Afifi, Barbara Baquero, Becky Bucklin, Sandy Berto View Transcript Here

Here is a brief introductory trailer for the 10-part series "A Community on the Move: The Story of Active Ottumwa." Hear from Dr. Edith Parker, DrPH the Dean of the University of Iowa College of Public Health and the former director of the University of Iowa Prevention Research Center for Rural Health as she describes the Active Ottumwa program and the podcast series.  A transcript of this trailer can be found Here.