Local Partnership Continues To Inspire Youth Movement During Move More Month

As Move More Month draws attention to physical activity’s role in cardiovascular health, community partners in Central Florida are sustaining a school-based initiative aimed at increasing daily movement among elementary-school children.

The source describes a local collaboration intended to instill lifelong heart-healthy behaviors by embedding a brief, regular walking and running activity into the school day.

• Intervention: Westly’s Mile, a morning walking and running activity implemented at elementary schools in Orange County, Orlando.
• Lead and funders: The program is funded by the Foundation for a Healthier West Orange.
• Delivery partners: The American Heart Association (AHA) and Healthy West Orange collaborate on program delivery and school engagement.
• Duration and reach reported: The Foundation for a Healthier West Orange and the AHA have partnered for more than four years to bring the program to 20 elementary schools across the county.

The source notes that fewer than 19 percent of U.S.

children and less than half of U.S.

adults meet these respective benchmarks.

• Population: Elementary school students in participating Orange County schools.
• Activity emphasis: Encouraging movement via a before-school walking and running session to promote daily physical activity among students.
• National context: The summary references AHA national recommendations—children are advised to accrue at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and adults are advised to obtain 150 minutes per week.

• Participation figures: According to the source, more than 2,000 students have taken part in Westly’s Mile across the participating schools.
• Aggregate activity logged: Participants have collectively recorded over 35,000 miles walked or run prior to the start of the school day.
• Program goals: The initiative aims to make movement a consistent and accessible element of students’ routines and to reinforce the value of physical activity among families, caregivers, and the wider community.

• Krista Carter, director of Healthy West Orange, Community Impact, is cited underscoring a shared commitment among partners to improve youth health outcomes and the role of consistent movement in reinforcing healthy behaviors.
• Alise Tyler, AHA region vice president of school engagement for Orlando, is quoted characterizing the initiative as an example of how community partnerships help children adopt heart‑healthy habits early, and emphasizing that movement can be fun, achievable, and part of daily life.

• Move More Month: The AHA leads Move More Month each April to encourage individuals of all ages to reduce sedentary time and increase daily movement.
• Resources: The source points readers to the AHA’s Healthy for Good initiative (heart.org/movemore) for information about getting active and staying healthy.
• Organizational mission: The AHA is presented as a long-standing health organization focused on equitable health, research funding, public health advocacy, and resources related to cardiovascular disease and stroke.

• The source does not report study design, formal evaluation methods, or comparative controls; no randomized or observational study framework is described.
• No standardized outcome measures beyond participation counts and cumulative miles are provided; the source does not report objective changes in fitness, clinical metrics, or validated behavioral assessments.
• Demographic details of participating students (age distribution, sex, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity) are not reported.
• Details on frequency, duration, or structure of individual sessions beyond being a morning walking/running program are not specified.
• Information on implementation fidelity, long-term sustainability, or barriers encountered is not reported.

• The source frames Westly’s Mile as a community-based approach to increasing children’s daily movement by leveraging partnerships among a local health foundation, a county health initiative, and the American Heart Association.
• The reported scale—implementation in 20 schools with over 2,000 participating students and tens of thousands of miles recorded—illustrates one model for program dissemination across elementary schools, though no formal effectiveness data are included.

• What standardized metrics or evaluation frameworks, if any, are used to assess behavioral or health impacts of the program?
• How frequently do students participate, and what is the average session duration?
• What strategies are used to sustain participation and integrate families or caregivers?