YMCA of Greater San Antonio Celebrates the Fifth Birthday of Síclovía

Síclovía has opportunities and activities for the entire family.

In 2010, through funding awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 50 communities began working to prevent obesity and tobacco use – the two leading preventable causes of death and disability. San Antonio was one of those 50 communities and an initiative called Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) was created to make healthy living easier by promoting environmental changes at the local level.
 
If healthy options are not available, then health living is not possible. With the support of the CPPW Initiative, San Antonio implemented a variety of changes within that first year to make healthy living easier. One of those changes was Síclovía. In September of 2011, the very first Síclovía was held on the downtown San Antonio Street of Broadway.
 
Síclovía allows the roadway to be temporarily car-free for the public to enjoy a safe, fun place to walk, bike, jog and participate in group exercise classes. Síclovía opens the road to pedestrians, bicyclists, runners, skateboarders, and rollerbladers – anyone looking to enjoy a day of noncompetitive activity and fun. Síclovía has quickly become the largest health and wellness event in San Antonio. The event is held twice a year and creates an opportunity for the community to interact and engage with neighborhoods, businesses and each other, through a variety of activities. 
 
On September 25, 2016 Síclovía will celebrate its 5th birthday hosted by the YMCA of Greater San Antonio in partnership with the City of San Antonio and Metropolitan Health District. The event has grown in participant size from 15,000 in 2011 to 72,000.
 
For many, Síclovía is the place where their healthy living journey begins.
At each event, participants share their stories of how their children learned to ride their bikes at Síclovía and how they didn’t know that the park in their neighborhood had a bike trail or fitness equipment.
 
Síclovía is a creative introduction to the YMCA for those that don’t associate the Y as being a place for medically based wellness programs, diabetes intervention/prevention or obesity prevention programs. And not just for adults, but for children too.
 
In addition, participants have the opportunity to learn more about other programs in their communities available through on-site event sponsors and partners.
 
To learn more about the upcoming celebration, click here

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