Community strength programs expand

University of Wisconsin–Madison Florence County Extension has posted 2026 StrongBodies leader‑training dates and lists in‑person class sites at the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center and NWTC’s Calvary Drive location in Niagara, with session times shown as 10:00–11:15 a.m. on multiple weekdays. (florence.extension.wisc.edu) Local partners named on program pages include the Florence County Aging & Disability Resource Center, the Florence County Health Department and UW‑Madison Extension’s FoodWIse program, which are co‑sponsoring class delivery and outreach. (florence.extension.wisc.edu) Florence County public‑health listings advertise an 8‑week StrongBodies in‑person course and a virtual StrongBodies option, with registration and site details posted on county event pages. (florencewipublichealth.com) Oregon State University Extension notes StrongPeople grew from Dr. Miriam Nelson’s Tufts research and has been offered in Oregon for nearly two decades, with recent local rollouts including twice‑weekly classes in Baker County at community venues such as the fairgrounds. (extension.oregonstate.edu) Program curricula published by StrongPeople/StrongBodies specify classes usually run about 45–60 minutes, enroll roughly 8–12 participants per session, and use two sets of strength routines with 8–10 exercises plus balance and flexibility work. (strongpeopleprogram.org) An evidence review and program synopsis in the Evidence‑Based Cancer Control Programs repository describes StrongPeople/StrongBodies as a twice‑weekly, community‑based intervention for adults 50+ that produced measurable fitness improvements in prior evaluations. (ebccp.cancercontrol.cancer.gov) OSU and UW extension materials emphasize local delivery by cooperative‑extension educators and trained volunteer leaders and include participant packets, a PAR‑Q screening, and liability waivers for new classes being set up across eastern Oregon and Florence County. (strongpeopleprogram.org)