Buena Park FIT Committee Celebrates 10 Years of Building a Healthier Community

## Buena Park Honors FIT Committee for 10 Years of Building a Healthier Community

**BUENA PARK, Calif. — August 11, 2026** — The City of Buena Park recognized the **Buena Park FIT Committee** during the August 11 City Council meeting, celebrating a decade of resident-led efforts to improve health, nutrition, physical activity, and quality of life throughout the community.

Buena Park City Councilmember **Carlos Franco** joins members of the **Buena Park FIT Committee** at City Hall as the City recognizes the committee’s **10th anniversary of service** on August 11, 2026. For a decade, volunteer members have worked alongside the City and community partners to promote healthier living through nutrition education, physical activity, community gardening, improved mobility, and resident-led wellness initiatives throughout Buena Park.

What began in 2016 as residents and parents advocating for healthier opportunities for local families has grown into ten years of programs and projects touching schools, parks, neighborhoods, and generations of Buena Park residents.

The FIT Committee’s mission has centered on improving health and wellness through community leadership and action. Over the past decade, members have promoted physical activity, healthier nutrition, community gardening, walking and bicycling, improved connections between homes and schools, public transit use, and anti-smoking initiatives.

But behind those programs is a story of residents who saw needs in their own families and neighborhoods—and decided to do something about them.

Founding member **Norma Guillermo** traces her involvement back to volunteering in local schools and recognizing that children’s nutrition and limited opportunities for physical activity were directly connected to their ability to thrive.

_“We started as volunteers in our schools because we saw what our own children needed,”_ Guillermo said. _“We understood that a well-nourished child who has opportunities to be physically active is better prepared to learn. We advocated for more physical education and healthier habits, and today it’s rewarding to see students succeeding academically while also discovering a love for sports and exercise.”_

For Guillermo, some of the committee’s accomplishments became deeply personal.

Her own children participated in track activities, inspiring her advocacy for greater opportunities for residents to walk and run. That work helped support the development of the walking track at **Whitaker Park**, an amenity now enjoyed by children, families, and older adults.

_“My son loved to run, and seeing families use that track today makes me incredibly happy,”_ Guillermo said. _“Sometimes ideas can seem ambitious when you first bring them forward. Years later, you see children and seniors enjoying something that began as an idea, and you realize those ideas really did make a difference.”_

She also saw the impact of early nutrition education at home. Her son Jaffet participated in nutrition classes as a child at Whitaker Elementary and developed an understanding of calories, exercise, and healthy habits that has followed him into adulthood.

Councilmember **Carlos Franco** said stories like Guillermo’s illustrate why resident participation matters in local government.

_“The FIT Committee is a perfect example of what can happen when residents don’t wait for someone else to solve a problem,”_ Franco said. _“Parents saw needs affecting their children, brought forward ideas and then stayed involved long enough to see those ideas become programs, gardens and places where people can be active. Ten years later, we’re not simply recognizing a committee. We’re recognizing residents who kept showing up and helped change Buena Park for the better.”_

That same philosophy can be seen in the committee’s support for community gardening.

Founding member **Ana Lilia Castro** has helped create opportunities for residents to learn how to grow seasonal vegetables—even when they have only a small amount of space available at home.

The **Community Garden** has also become a place for college students to complete community service hours and for residents to learn from one another.

_“The garden is more than a place where we grow vegetables,”_ Castro said. _“It’s a place where people learn, serve and build community. Residents can discover how much they can grow even in a small space, and students have a place to give back through community service. When you see different generations learning and working together, you understand why keeping these spaces available matters.”_

Castro acknowledged that maintaining a community initiative for years is not always easy. At times, health challenges made her consider stepping away, but seeing families and community groups continue to benefit from the garden reinforced her commitment.

She credited fellow community leader **Mrs. Jiménez**, their families, and numerous community partners with helping sustain the effort.

Current support has included **Providence St. Jude** through its **Move More Eat Healthy** program and the **Cool OC Green Cities** program, while past supporters have included **St. Joseph** and **America On Track**.

Castro also credited the Buena Park FIT Committee for providing both physical space for community initiatives and a public forum where residents can continue bringing forward comments and ideas during the committee’s monthly meetings.

The stories of Guillermo and Castro reflect a larger legacy created by volunteers over the committee’s first decade.

A conversation about childhood nutrition can become healthier school practices.

A child who loves running can inspire a place where generations exercise.

A garden can become a classroom.

And an idea brought to a monthly community meeting can eventually become something thousands of residents enjoy.

For ten years, FIT Committee members have contributed their time, energy, and ideas toward making Buena Park a healthier place to live, work, learn, and raise a family.

The August 11 City Council recognition honored those years of service—but it also celebrated something harder to measure: what happens when residents believe they can shape the community around them.

As Franco reflected, _“The best ideas for a city don’t always begin at City Hall. Sometimes they begin with a parent, a teacher, a volunteer or a neighbor who simply asks, ‘How can we make this better?’ The FIT Committee spent ten years helping answer that question.”_

## About the Buena Park FIT Committee

The Buena Park FIT Committee is composed of volunteer community leaders committed to improving health and wellness throughout Buena Park. Since 2016, the committee has worked alongside City departments and community partners to encourage healthy nutrition, physical activity, community gardening, walking and bicycling, greater mobility, and other initiatives that contribute to a healthier community.

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