Julia Hagge is a military wife and mom of three. When her husband was deployed to Afghanistan in February of 2011, she decided it was a good time to get healthier. She joined the Y’s Cinch an Inch program that March. A competitive spirit by nature, she hoped the contest would motivate her to exercise more and make better food choices.

For Julia, Cinch an Inch was a success. Her trainer designed challenging workouts and provided information on how to eat healthier. She lost a total of 18 pounds, but it was truly just the beginning. What she learned during Cinch an Inch built a foundation that enabled her to lose 26 more pounds.

That’s according to the Volunteer Florida BEST Neighborhoods grant program. The Tampa Y recently received $20,000 from Volunteer Florida for the second year in a row for our Sulphur Springs Neighborhood of Promise Initiative.

The BEST program, which stands for Build-Engage-Sustain-Transform, is based on “neighboring,” a model concept of community engagement that uses volunteering as a tool to empower, mobilize and facilitate positive changes within communities.  

“We were one of only 13 awardees, with only six of those receiving funding for a second year,” said Mike McCollum, Operations Executive Director for the Y’s NOP Initiative in Sulphur Springs. “We are honored to receive this funding, and are honored to be passing it on to help kids and families in the Sulphur Springs community.”

Grants are selected based on their abilities to address or more of the following areas in qualifying counties: economic recovery, education, disaster preparedness, environment and human needs. In Florida, 13 grants were awarded, covering 11 counties.