Meet Kimm Cooney from Skowhegan, Maine

Kimm Cooney is a licensed child and family therapist in Skowhegan, Maine. Kimm is also a runner and says she “wants to promote community wellness in an impoverished old mill town.” She requested $2,000 to start a weekly walk/run race to get her community to either run, walk, or just come out and cheer their neighbors on. The weekly event will benefit their local farmers' market where they work hard to establish free weekly children's activities outdoors and indoors, fresh food consultations and tasting. To combat obesity, Kimm hopes her events will entice hundreds of people who usually wouldn't participate in this type of activity. She plans to purchase a digital timing device and wristbands for race participants.

Diary Starts Here

July 8, 2010
Here are photos from the Lettuce Move 5k that took place over the Fourth of July weekend...

June 8, 2010
Here are photos from last Saturday's inaugural Lettuce Move 5k walk/run...

June 4, 2010
Kimm's first Lettuce Move 5k race is tomorrow, Saturday June 5th. Below is the flyer promoting the series of races.

May 5, 2010
The commemorative Reminderbands that Kimm ordered have arrived, and all the ladies organizing the Lettuce Move 5k held a sign making party for the upcoming event.

March 29, 2010
Kimm has been testing out the new timing device... Here's a very short video clip.

March 20, 2010
The timing device arrived this week and Kimm says they are all excited to try it out this weekend. The Town of Skowhegan and Skowhegan Police Chief Emmons have approved the 3.2 mile (5k) route around town and they are working on fliers, tee-shirts, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the wristbands! "Now it is up to our community to get moving!" said Kimm. She posted a challenge on Facebook for a name for the event each week and Erica Thompson, of Skowhegan, came up with Lettuce Move 5K. Kimm says they love it because it builds on First Lady Michelle Obama's national campaign "Let's Move", and ties in nicely with the Skowhegan Farmers' Market. They are hoping to get WABI-TV 5 to cover the first opening day on June 5th. (I will be calling to wish everyone luck) "We may only get 5 - 10 people to show," Kimm said, "but at least it is a start--I am sure it will be more! We are going to have a sign making party in April as well." The wristbands should be arriving soon.

February 20, 2010
It’s so much fun when someone is super excited and surprised when I call and Kimm certainly was. In fact, there was so much commotion on her end of the line that I got cut off! But I called right back and could hear some people chanting, “Jenny! Jenny!” What a joy to know what this means to the community. After the shock of receiving this grant, Kimm was doubly shocked to learn that she was the only one who didn’t know about it. “My husband knew?” she said, “even my kids!?” I told her that we’d been talking to local farmer Sarah Smith, who is also the market manager, and that market volunteer, Amber Lambke, let us use her cell phone since the call happened outdoors at the actual market. Kimm’s husband, John, was the one who brought her to the market with their 12-year-old twin boys, Benjamin and Riley.

The market runs all year long. It’s every week from May to October and then twice a month from November to April.