(Danville, Va.) — The Health Collaborative – Dan River Region has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Aetna Foundation as part of the Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge and is now a finalist for a much larger grant.

The Collaborative was one of only ten cities to be named a Spotlight Award winner, and joins all 50 participants in the running for the Challenge’s grand prize. To date, the foundation has awarded the local heath initiative more than $35,000 in grants.

Health Collaborative Project Coordinator Elyse Jardine has been at work for the past year, coordinating 54 organizations in Danville, Pittsylvania and Caswell Counties. She says the group is working to build a healthier community through better eating habits and by increasing access to healthy foods.

The group was recently singled out by the Challenge partners as a Spotlight Award winner for its efforts in the Dan River region.

Members include God’s Storehouse, Cooperative Extension Agencies in Virginia and North Carolina, PATHS and Danville Parks and Recreation.

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