Get Outdoors (GO) program kicks off 10th summer of outdoor exploration

Get Outdoors (GO), Lebanon, and color our world! 

That’s the 2025 theme of the 10th annual Get Outdoors (GO) program in Lebanon County, which runs this summer through Aug. 16.

Sandy Gladfelter, community health lead coordinator for WellSpan Health, said GO encourages physical activity, creativity, reading, and outdoor exploration for children, families, and adults in the WellSpan Health footprint. 

“It is offered primarily to address significant public health concerns related to physical inactivity and unhealthy eating, which contribute to rising rates of obesity and related chronic diseases among children and adults in our region,” she said. 

The GO program was developed to address significant public health concerns related to physical inactivity and unhealthy eating, which contribute to rising rates of overweight, obesity, and related chronic diseases among children and families in the area.

Gladfelter highlighted the following data:

• High prevalence of overweight and obesity – According to the Community Health Needs Assessment, 68 percent of adults in Lebanon County are classified as overweight or obese (body mass index greater than 25).
• Low levels of physical activity – Only 23 percent of adults reported exercising for at least 30 minutes on five or more days in the past week.
• Childhood obesity rates – School health data shows that 15.7 percent of children aged 10-17 and 15.4 percent of high school students in Lebanon County are obese.
• Youth inactivity – The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System found that 14.5 percent of high school students and 7.4 percent of middle school students did not engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on any day during the 2020-21 school year.

“These alarming statistics underscore the need for effective interventions to encourage more physical activity and healthier lifestyles among children and families. To help reverse these trends, WellSpan Health has consistently offered programs like GO to provide fun, engaging, and accessible opportunities for physical activity and outdoor exploration,” she added.

She said research shows that many elementary-aged kids also experience a decline in reading skills during the summer months when they are not regularly engaged in literacy activities.

“The reading aspect of the GO program is included to address the common issue of summer reading loss among children,” Gladfelter said. “Through our partnership with the library systems of each county and Parks and Recreation departments, we offer this free program to instill healthy habits of being physically active, exploring local and community parks and trails, encouraging reading, and seeing how green space can benefit the mental health of all participants.”

Program participants can get their activity book at a local Lebanon County library. 

The booklet explains how to get started, an area map indicating park location and listing of the 15 participating parks throughout the county, a thumbnail explanation to show the exact location of each marker, suggested readings related to that activity, and other pertinent details for that particular project. A “marker” is a wooden post containing an etching plate, according to the booklet.

Those who wish to win prizes and log their activities can log in or create an account with Beanstack, a website and mobile app designed to motivate people to read. (Individuals without a phone or computer can visit any Lebanon County library and a staff member will log the activity marker for you.)

One to three markers identified equals 1 GO Lebanon patch. Four to nine markers equals a chance to win one of five prizes. Ten to 14 markers is two chances to win a prize, and all 15 identified markers earns participants three chances to win a prize.

Melanie Wells, community health educator for WellSpan Health-Lebanon County, said relationships have been built with area parks over the past decade to collaborate on this initiative.

“Some of them have a variety of resources for family-friendly activities, and we want to showcase them every year. Other parks are on the smaller side, so we rotate them from year to year to keep things interesting for families. When choosing the list of parks each year, we also like to spread the parks out throughout the county so families from all over the county can participate,” said Wells. “We also recognize transportation may be limited for some participants and strive to pick several parks/trails within city limits and/or accessible by public transportation.” 

Middle Creek Wildlife and Nature Preserve is a shared GO site between Lancaster and Lebanon each year since it provides a unique opportunity for community members of all ages. (GO is administered in seven counties, including Schuylkill, which is where the stained glass project is located for the Swatara State Park entry this year.)

One important aspect is that the program is geared towards all ages, and is something that families can complete together. The youth program is specifically designed for children up to age 18, while the adult program is for those 19 years of age and older.

“This program offers great opportunities for children and their families to engage in outdoor fun, spend quality time together, and enjoy a free activity designed to help improve their overall physical health, mental health, and more,” said Gladfelter.

Rebekah Hamner, community health coordinator for WellSpan Health-Lebanon County, outlined some new aspects to this year’s program. There are now seven participating counties, 37 new parks/trails added to the overall program, now in its 17th year, and one new park added to Lebanon County’s program (Hilltop Playground).

“For those who love to do math, as well as hike and read, new this year, we are partnering with Young Mathematicians, a website that features games for home and school with fun and interactive math games to support math learning,” said Hamner. “This is a free activity to encourage young children to sharpen their math skills over the summer months and offers an additional chance to win a prize!”

As far as the physical level of each hike is concerned, each is rated as “easy” (a short distance hike on fairly level ground), “moderate” (a longer distance walk on fairly level ground, or a short distance with some hills), or “hard” (a long distance walk with hills and obstacles.) 

In total, Lebanon countians can hike about 13 miles at this year’s participating parks. And each project lists the roundtrip distance, whether there are restroom facilities, a playground, if the park is wheelchair and stroller accessible, and if it is dog-friendly. 

“The total distance to hike all the hikes in Lebanon County is 12.68 miles, an average of 0.85 miles/hike, with some being shorter/longer than others,” added Gladfelter.