Three Live Healthy Award winners were recognized at the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax Spring meeting last week.  

The Live Healthy Fairfax Awards recognize individuals and organizations that demonstrated exemplary leadership and action to improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, and populations across the Fairfax Health District. Their work aligns with the goals of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), specifically in the areas of Behavioral Health, Healthy Eating/Fairfax Food Council, and Healthy Environment and Active Living.

Rebecca Kiessling, Behavioral Health Team

Rebecca Kiessling, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Northern Virginia is a dedicated advocate for those experiencing mental health challenges.  

Working with the diverse population of Northern Virginia, Rebecca serves a wide-range of people including Spanish-speakers, LGBTQ community members, African Americans, working moms, and those who are new to the country. “We have 181 languages represented in our area.  We need to meet people where they are, not where we are,” she says.

Rebecca provides support and makes positive change, from speaking one-on-one with someone experiencing a family crisis to bringing together faith-leaders to informing members of Congress on mental health issues.

Rebecca works to decrease stigma of mental health in our community, promote connection, belonging and meaning around mental health issues, help individuals develop stress management and coping skills, and increase community awareness of behavioral health issues.

The Farm at Halley Rise, Healthy Eating/Fairfax Food Council Team

The Farm at Halley Rise is a place to connect to nature, to community, and to healthy, sustainable, local food in Reston, VA. In 2023 alone, the Farm grew over 1000 pounds of kale, chard, eggplant, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and herbs — all of which was distributed to individuals, families, and nonprofits with limited access to fresh produce.

The Farm offers classes on a variety of topics, such as gardening 101, seedling planting, and bouquet making, providing a space for the community to gather and empowering people to start their own gardens. 

In addition to making a difference at the community level, The Farm at Halley Rise stands as a model for other developments on how to incorporate agriculture and community into future buildings. 

The work of the Farm aligns with two of the CHIP goals: increasing participation in programs that foster active lifestyles and community connections and improving access to fresh and healthy foods for all.

Eileen Garnett Civic Space with Project Leads of Laura Baker and Adam Wynn, Healthy Environment and Active Living 

Built on the old Annandale Elementary School, the Eileen Garnett Civic Space is a safe gathering place for the Annandale community, consisting of a civic plaza with seating, an educational garden, a great lawn, and an area for community activities and special events.

The civic space is an integral part of the community. It increases access to healthy and sustainable food, reduces social isolation and responds directly to the needs and requests of community members.

This project was led by Laura Baker of the Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives and Adam Wynn at the Fairfax County Park Authority who led the space’s creation. Their efforts brought this project from concept to design to completion in just three years, with the Eileen Garnett Civic Space opening in October of 2023.

The space is named after Eileen Garnett, a community champion who was fatally struck by a car during the civic space’s planning phase. Eileen was a strong advocate for the improvement of sidewalks and transportation, building design, signage, streetlights, landscaping and trash removal in Annadale.

Through the work of Laura and Adam and the multi-sector partnerships that have been formed, the civic space is delivering on Eileen’s vision of creating a safer and healthier environment for the Annandale community.

Congratulations to all Live Healthy Award winners!

The Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax is a coalition of community members and organizations working together to explore new approaches for addressing the social determinants of health and other critical public health issues. Learn more about what you can do to get involved by visiting Live Healthy Fairfax.