Group Aims to 'Advance Vitality'

Instead of focusing its efforts on a single, physical project, the Leadership Redondo Class of 2011 has a much loftier goal: encourage Redondo Beach residents to live healthier lives.

As part of its "Advance Vitality" project, Leadership Redondo aims to register 10,000 Redondo Beach residents on the Healthways-Blue Zones Vitality City initiative's website; give away 20 bicycles to the public at local events; and install bike racks at locations across the city.

• Complete Coverage: Vitality City Initiative

The Vitality City program is a three-year initiative that aims to promote healthy living for residents of the three Beach Cities—Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach—by encouraging positive lifestyle changes. Over the past year, the initiative has created a Blue Zones certification for restaurants that offer diners healthy options; started walking moai groups where residents socialize and exercise at the same time; and most recently launched "power of purpose" workshops to help people find their reason for living.

Leadership Redondo hopes that by gathering 10,000 signups for Vitality City, the initiative will reach its goal of getting 25 percent of Beach Cities residents participating in the program.

Bicycling is also a large part of the Vitality City initiative. Several months ago, the Redondo Beach City Council gave final approval to the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan and the Vitality City Livability Plan. The first plan calls for a combination of bike paths, lanes and routes throughout seven of the South Bay cities, including 36.7 miles of bikeways in Redondo Beach alone. Both the bicycle and livability plans call for a Class 1 cycleway—or separate bike path—along the western side of Harbor Drive.

"The Leadership Redondo group factored the Bicycle Master Plan into the decision-making process (when choosing its goal), along with recent knowledge that county and city funds might soon be appropriated for the purpose of implementing changes called for in the plan," according to a news release from Leadership Redondo.

The Class of 2011 has already given away two bicycles at the Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K race.

The bicycle rack project is the third in the South Bay—the 2010 classes of Leadership Hermosa and Leadership Manhattan also installed bike racks in their cities.

Leadership Redondo is an 18-month program put on by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau "to prepare a select group of individuals … to become future community leaders." The first 12 months of the program involves studying the city, its residents and issues facing the community, while the final six months are reserved for a class project.

Previous Leadership Redondo classes have installed decorative benches around Riviera Village, created a "Path of History" around the city, and erected a 9/11 memorial at City Hall, among other projects. The Class of 2010 is working to replace the now-demolished Veteran's Park bandshell.