On Thursday afternoon, Feb. 23, the Georgia Cancer Center’s CHANGE initiative gifted the MM Scott neighborhood with a family-friendly story walk, along with easy access cancer screening tools and prevention information.
The CHANGE (Cancer Health Awareness through screeNinG and Education) program, first started by Augusta University assistant professor Marlo Vernon, aims to minimize racial inequities by raising awareness of cancer through education and community relationships.
“So this project is funded by the American Cancer Society and Pfizer, and what we have done is developed an education program for residents of several Augusta housing authority communities, including here at MM Scott,” said Vernon. “We come in and we do a four-week session with residents. We help them to evaluate whether or not they need screening for cancer, and then we navigate them to those screenings.”
Desiring to also implement a collaborative environmental change, Vernon said the organization also wanted to encourage a new healthy habit that helps prevent cancer. After asking and surveying the neighborhood, Vernon said tenants requested a project that would increase physical activity
“Here at MM Scott, they decided they wanted to do something outside that would include physical activity for both older residents and families, because this is a community that has both,” she said. “We worked with the Augusta University literacy center to create what we call a story walk.”
To encourage literacy as well as physical exercise for adults and children, the story walk will take pages from a selected children’s book, and distribute pages along a walkable path around the senior high rise and the MM Scott neighborhood, which participants can then follow along to read.
“It’s important to build community, and having a healthy lifestyle doesn’t just depend on yourself,” said Vernon. “And we find that in communities where you see other people out … that encourages you to do it too.”
Locally created by the university’s Golden Blocks Legends, the first story for the walk will be a recently released comic book about Lucy Craft Laney.
Based on true accounts and accurate history, the comic will teach participants about Laney’s impact on the community, while honoring Black History Month.
Associate professor and Program Director of Golden Blocks Legends Juan Walker said his team was proud to be a part of the initiative, because it allows children to be introduced to stories in a new, non-stagnant form.
“I think we have to support our community,” he said “I know, for myself, when I was a classroom teacher, I always wanted to get my students outside and read under a tree. I wanted them to have a positive, warm feeling when they engaged in reading. I didn’t want it to be stifling.”
Director of the Augusta University Literacy Center Betsy Vandeusen said story walks also offer the unique advantage of being a conversation starter for community engagement, because it allows a book to be shared among neighbors of all ages.
“Everybody can join in on the story walks … it’s a whole community activity,” she said. “And these particular comic books are highlighting some historical people from the area that are really important for us to know about.”
Vandeusen also said that reading is more memorable and enjoyable when shared with a loved one; by having families exercising outdoors and learning together, new memories can be created for both children and adults leading to an ultimately positive outlook on literacy for those involved.
Mother of two and MM Scott resident Juanita Harris said she brought her sons to the kickoff event because of their interest in reading.
“They are very interested in Black history, and I know they like to read and like comic books – so it was just a fun thing to do,” said mother of two sons and MM Scott resident Juanita Harris. “You have to know where you come from, and what’s going for kids’ future … I just want to make sure they read.”
Harris said she believes it is important for children to know the importance of reading, and that it can come in many different forms.
Fellow parent Jameesha Herrington said she was looking forward to the story walk because it would help interest her son in reading more, while also giving them an activity and excuse to get out of the house.
In the future, Vernon said the program hopes to be able to provide residents with home test kits for colorectal cancer, in order to allow more privacy and easy access to all.
“[The story walk] makes it easy for people to get out, and make these types of changes to their life,” she said. “And having a healthy lifestyle leads to a reduced risk of cancer.”
MM Scott is the third housing community to work with the program, and starting March 13 will begin enjoying the perks of having an onsite story walk, which will be habitually updated with new stories throughout the year.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
