The Delaware County community is invited to enjoy a new walking path located behind the Buckeye Valley Middle School, thanks to funding through the Delaware General Health District’s Creating Healthy Communities program and the Buckeye Valley Local School district.

The path started out of a vision to connect the school district with the Delaware County community, a news release states. Work began on the path in the summer of 2016 and was completed by December.

Many programs at Buckeye Valley have committed to utilizing the path for physical activity including the cross country team, middle and high school physical education and the special education programs.

“The Buckeye Valley Local School District, however, does not want to limit access to the path for school-related programs. The district hopes that the Buckeye Valley community and all that call Delaware County home will take advantage of this new walking path in addition to the beautiful country views.”

In 2014, the Delaware General Health District was awarded the Creating Healthy Communities (CHC) grant from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The five-year award, which totals $95,000 each year, will be used in the community to support and promote healthy eating, active living and tobacco-free environments.

CHC is committed to preventing and reducing chronic disease statewide. Through cross-sector collaboration, CHC is activating communities to improve access to and affordability of healthy food, increase opportunities for physical activity, and assure tobacco-free living where Ohioans live, work and play. By implementing sustainable evidence-based strategies CHC is creating a culture of health.