Katherina Colston has become the second Gordon County citizen to receive a prestigious state award for providing exemplary leadership in promoting the benefits of physical activity in Georgia. 

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The Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health has given 60 “Be Active” Acknowledgement and Recognition (BAAR) awards in the state, just nine in the 10-county Northwest Georgia Public Health district. 
Colston, who works at Firehouse Gym in Calhoun, was presented her BAAR award, a sculptural rendering of the Georgia Peach handcrafted of molten boron glass by Atlanta’s Fräbel Glass Art Studio, at a March 14 meeting at the C.L. Moss Senior Center in Calhoun.

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According to Colston’s citation, she “went to bed one day a healthy 39-year healthy woman and woke up next a  handicapped per. Ms. Colston was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, but the former dancer turned trial into triumph by becoming a certified fitness trainer and lifestyle-and-weight-management consultant. Because of her positive attitude and commitment to exercise, Colston is able to stretch and bend as if she has no pain and actively works with the Area Agency on Aging promoting fun physical activity to local senior citizens ”

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The Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health, in association with the Governor’s Office, sponsors the Live Health Georgia campaign, a component of which encourages Georgians to “be active,” thus the award was designated the BAAR Award — “Be Active” Acknowledgement and Recognition. 

Nominees were judged on innovation, the degree to which their leadership was new or unique; motivation, how the nominee motivated or inspired others by leading by example or “walking the talk;” impact, the extent of behavioral changes in self, others or organization attributed to the nominee’s efforts; visibility, the relative increase of awareness of the importance of physical activity as a result of the nominee’s efforts and initiative, the extent to which the program or activity originated with the nominee.

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The Live Healthy Georgia campaign was initiated in March 2005 by Gov. Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health as a statewide effort uniting both the public and private sector to improve the health of Georgians by promoting five simple behaviors: Get Checked, Eat Healthy, Be Active, Be Smoke Free and Be Positive.

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In 2006, the campaign focused on the “Be Active” message.

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Calhoun Times

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