Ames is continuing to move toward becoming a Blue Zone Community. The Ames Blue Zones Advisory Board has made great strides to give the best chance of being chosen as a test community.

The decision on which communities will be chosen will take place at 9 a.m. Friday at the Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield office building. Several media organizations will be in attendance as well as the governor.

“Two or three communities will be chosen,” said Elaine Hieber, co-chairwoman for the power nine advisory board. “We are still extremely optimistic and are keeping our fingers crossed.”

Iowa State recently hosted a site visit for nine members of Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield from across the country. They were also the only site visit to have Dan Buettner, the founder of the Blue Zones movement, in attendance.

Mayor Ann Campbell spoke before the nine visiting Wellmark members as well as representatives from local businesses, students and faculty from the university.

“As a student here at Iowa State,” said Jared Infelt, junior in mechanical engineering, “we have such a great community here in Ames, and if Blue Zones can make it that much better, I am completely behind it.”

During the visit, the advisory board for the Ames Blue Zones Project set up “Blue Ball Speed Dating.”

This consisted of nine large blue exercise balls, marking different stations around the new State Gym. At each station, the Wellmark representatives were shown how Ames had been working to make itself a Blue Zone Community.

“This was a good activity to keep the representatives engaged,” Hieber said. “It also allowed us to show off our new State Gym. They seemed pleased with it and with the Ames community as a whole.”

If Ames is chosen as a test community, focus groups will be held to discuss where community members believe the most changes are needed. At the end of June, Blue Zones will host an institute where five to nine advisory members will be taught how to help the Blue Zones along.

In August, Healthways will come and provide an audit to identify what areas Ames needs help with and what things can be left as they are. Then in September, it will give an assessment of the community and a blueprint to show how to make the changes Ames needs. The real work to change the community won’t begin until October or November of next year.

“Even if we aren’t selected,” Hieber explained, “we will still move forward with the initiative and hope to be chosen next year.”