Baldwyn celebrates being named a Healthy Hometown

The Baldwyn Bearcats football season is drawing closer, and these young boys are hoping to be future Bearcats as they practice in an adjacent field in Latimer Park. Thanks to a 100-thousand-dollar grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the city will be able to purchase and install very high-end playground equipment in this section of the park.

BALDWYN, Miss. (WCBI) – The town of Baldwyn held a block party to celebrate being named a Healthy Hometown.

The Baldwyn Bearcats football season is drawing closer, and these young boys are hoping to be future Bearcats as they practice in an adjacent field in Latimer Park.

Thanks to a 100-thousand-dollar grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, the city will be able to purchase and install very high-end playground equipment in this section of the park. Mayor Roslynn Clark and members of the Healthy Hometown Committee submitted the successful application.

“Our application included us showing all the healthy initiatives that we already have in our city and anything we’re planning to make our city healthier,” Clark said. “Healthy activities such as bicycling, running, football all those types of things so we’re making sure we have everything in place for each group of people every generation so our whole city can be healthy.”

To celebrate the grant the city held a block party in downtown Baldwyn with a food truck outside and health screenings inside.

“Long-term elevated blood pressures can lead to kidney failure and heart problems,” said President of Eliza Pillars Sonya Pippins. “So we want to try to eliminate that. Weight control helps keep your blood pressure regulated. If you are overweight a lot of times your blood pressure runs higher. If we can keep your weight under control therefore we can keep your blood pressure under control as well.”

Mayor Clark says they hope to have the new playground equipment installed by late fall or early winter.

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