US: Lower Salford Honored for Participation in Young Lungs at Play Program

Source from:  Souderton Independent 12/08/2014

The five township parks that are in the Young Lungs at Play tobacco-free program were specifically chosen because of having amenities such as ballfields or pavilions.

"Where you'd have a gathering of children and families was what we focused on," Mary West, assistant township manager, said.

"Young Lungs at Play is a program aimed to help communities create tobacco-free parks, playgrounds and recreational areas for children," according to information on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. "Many Pennsylvania communities have adopted outdoor tobacco-free policies at parks, zoos, athletic fields, playgrounds, trails and even city sidewalks and streets to help protect both children and the environment."

At the Dec. 3 Lower Salford Township Board of Supervisors meeting, DonnaLea Pyrz, of the Indian Valley Character Counts! Coalition, presented the board with a certificate recognizing the township's participation in Young Lungs at Play.

Some other Indian Valley towns are considering becoming part of the program, but Lower Salford is the first and only one so far to have done so, she said.

"We hope that the other municipalities in our community will follow your lead," Pyrz said.

The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania partnered with the Indian Valley Character Counts! Coalition and a state grant was used for the Lower Salford program, she said.

There are more than 500 towns statewide in the Young Lungs at Play program, according to the Department of Health website. Eight Montgomery County towns were listed as being in the program - Lansdale, Hatfield Township, Lower Moreland, Lower Salford, Red Hill, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion and Upper Moreland.

The five Lower Salford parks in Young Lungs at Play are Alvin C. Alderfer Park, Robert Clemens Bucher Park, Heckler Plains Farmstead, Charles L. Reed Memorial Park and Dan Roth Park.

"The township just really wants to promote healthy lifestyles and protect the visitors to the parks," Enditem