Prescott’s Commission on Well-Being Needs Your Input

by Dr. Billie Orr, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Prescott, and Lori Kennedy, Communications Coordinator, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
The Prescott Commission on Well-Being has made great progress since its creation in January. In March, the commission held a strategic planning session facilitated by Bert Ijams from Meals on Wheels. During the four-hour meeting, the nine-member committee, led by Dr. Billie Orr, Prescott’s Mayor Pro Tem and Commission Council Liaison, brainstormed, discussed and formulated the vision, mission statement and focus of the commission.
The first task — define well-being — was a daunting undertaking but imperative to the mission. Visions were expressed — balance, purpose, happiness, healthy, lively, energetic, vibrant, whole, connected, educated, significant, informed, determined, change, adaptable, flexible and open.
The next task was to explore questions: What is the City of Prescott? Who lives here? What do they care about? What makes a community healthy? What is the purpose of this commission? How can it best serve the people of this great city?
And then, needs were discussed: What do our citizens need in terms of health and wellness? In what areas can we help? How do we meet their needs?
After in-depth conversation and sharing of ideas, two initiatives clearly rose to the top of the priority list. The first was the need to define the commission through a logo. And that logo needed to incorporate the Gallup poll elements — physical, social, financial, community and purpose. This was important as it was the 2017 Gallup-Sharecare publication of the State of American Well-Being series examining the well-being of communities across the nation that started the idea of the formulation to create Prescott’s Commission on Well-Being.
The second priority was a survey. The commission acknowledged the need to hear from the citizens of Prescott on what aspects of health and wellness are most important to them.
The commission is proud to introduce its new logo and invites the community of Prescott to participate in the Wellness Survey.
Well-Being Logo
The logo captures the essence of the commission’s vision and mission. As they work toward the City of Prescott becoming the premier city of well-being in America, the commissioners will engage the citizens who live, learn, work and play in the lifelong pursuit of well-being through communication, motivation and action.
Commissioner Chair John Murphy said, “I want to thank my fellow commissioners for all their collaborative input and give a special shout out to Jack Hillman, who designed the logo based on the commissioners’ feedback. He did a fantastic job.”
The logo features a beautifully balanced tree supported by symbols of people and families celebrating Prescott’s five branches of well-being. The first branch represents purpose, signifying enjoyment of what we do in our lives each day, setting goals and being motivated to achieve them. The next branch references community; feeling a sense of pride and connection to others through volunteerism and participation in activities. The middle branch is social; having supportive relationships in our lives through family, friends and organizations. The fourth branch represents financial well-being, being capable of managing our finances to increase security and reduce stress in our lives. The far right branch, physical well-being, is essential for our citizens to achieve a lifestyle of good health, energy and beneficial nutrition. Finally, the logo incorporates the well-known silhouette of beautiful Thumb Butte.
Citizen Survey and Website
As the commission strives to establish Prescott as the “Premier City of Well-Being in America,” members are requesting your feedback on 16 very simple survey questions pertaining to each of the five branches of Well-Being. Your responses will help the commission create programs, events and services to help reach their vision. Orr encourages folks to go to the City website and complete the survey. She emphasized, “We want this commission to serve you, the citizens of the Prescott region. Please tell us what your expectations and suggestions are to better serve you in regards to well-being.”
Please go to the following link and website to take the survey and learn more about well-being.
www.prescott-az.gov/city-management/programs/well-being
The strategic planning session yielded many more thoughts and ideas on how this commission can serve its citizens. We are excited about what we can do to support the health and well-being of our community.
Finally, the commission is pleased to announce the appointment of Rita Kavanaugh as the newest addition to its team. Rita has over 30 years of health care experience including acute care, trauma, long term care, ambulatory and clinical ancillary services. She is an active community member who lives in Yavapai Hills.
As the world continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19, we encourage the citizens of Prescott to remain strong. Stay connected. Stay healthy. Continue to practice the recommended health guidelines: wash your hands regularly; maintain physical distance; wear a face covering if physical distancing is not possible; and stay home if you feel sick.
Prescott is Everybody’s Hometown — a community that thrives on supporting and caring for each other. Well-being is a lifelong commitment and the intent of the commission is to foster a culture of health and wellness and set good principles for lifelong well-being for our residents.
The Commission meetings are held via Zoom calls and are open to the public. Contact Kelly Tolbert at kelly.tolbert@prescott-az.gov for dates and times of meetings.