Blue Zones Project Yuba-Sutter Executive Director Marni Sanders (third from left) accepts the Spark Award from Shelly Trumbo, Blue Zones LLC executive vice president and chief operations officer, during the Yuba-Sutter Blue Zones Project graduation celebration at the Five30 Event Center in Marysville on June 25.

YUBA-SUTTER, CA (MPG) - Five years after launching with a goal of helping residents live healthier, more connected lives, the Yuba-Sutter Blue Zones Project marked its "graduation" June 25, closing one chapter while preparing to carry its work forward through a new locally led nonprofit.

The celebration at the FIVE30 Event Center in Marysville brought together hundreds of residents, community partners and local leaders to reflect on what the project helped build, including safer streets, community gardens, walking groups, food access programs and relationships that organizers said will outlast the original five-year grant cycle.

"Blue Zones belongs to all of us now," said Alexandria Jones, Yuba-Sutter Blue Zones engagement lead. "We chose a graduation theme because that's kind of how it feels. We've grown up and are moving on and passing things off to the community. It's bittersweet, but we are very proud of what we've accomplished."

Guests enjoy a complimentary healthy lunch during the Yuba-Sutter Blue Zones Project graduation celebration at the Five30 Event Center in Marysville on June 25.

Executive Director Marni Sanders plans to continue that momentum through Live Well Yuba Sutter, a new nonprofit inspired by the Blue Zones model and focused on supporting healthy eating, active lifestyles and long-term community well-being across the region.

Originally sponsored by Adventist Health and Rideout, the local Blue Zones Project was designed as a five-year initiative centered on community connection, healthier environments, food access and tobacco prevention, with the goal of making healthy choices easier for residents.

Attendees enjoyed a healthy lunch catered by The Village, Happy Viking and The Brick while hearing from Blue Zones staff, partners and community members whose lives were impacted by the project.

"Overall, what I'd like to say about the whole effort is that it brought community together," said Yvonne Willis, a local resident and committee member for the Neighbors for a Safer Second project. "I now know neighbors that I didn't know before and am confident in our ability to work together to make positive change."

Willis highlighted a collaborative effort that united residents, Blue Zones staff and city and county leaders to improve traffic safety along a busy stretch of Second Street in Yuba City.

Other featured accomplishments included the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church community garden, walking moai groups and the MADD Love Community Fridge, which has since become its own nonprofit led by eighth-grade students Addalie Burns and Mia Bumpus.

Representatives from Yuba-Sutter Blue Zones walking Moai groups are recognized during the project's graduation celebration at the Five30 Event Center in Marysville on June 25.

"Blue Zones believed in our idea from the very beginning," Bumpus said. "They helped us connect with community leaders, organizations and partners and taught us networking and communication skills that we will use for the rest of our lives."

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Blue Zones LLC Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Shelly Trumbo recognized the work of the Yuba-Sutter team, particularly Sanders, who received the Blue Zones Project Igniter Award for her leadership.

"The purpose of every Blue Zones Project is to empower everyone, everywhere, to live better longer, and Marni hasn't just created the spark for this well-being movement," Trumbo said. "Under her wise and intentional leadership, Marni and her team have nurtured that spark. They've protected it. They've given it oxygen so it can grow into something lasting, and the progress we've seen in this community is a direct reflection, Marni, of your ability to find a way to bring people along with you."

Data collected by the organization showed community well-being in Yuba-Sutter increased by 2.8 points during the project's five-year run.

"This may sound like a small number, but it is a significant number," Trumbo said. "Even a tenth of a point improvement in well-being can lead to incredible prevention-cost savings for the community. And you accomplished this at a time when most of the nation is seeing a reduction in the overall well-being of their communities."

Trumbo then declared the Yuba-Sutter region "Blue Zones approved," a moment that drew an emotional response from many team members.

"This isn't only the best job I ever had, this will go down as one of the most special times in my life," Sanders said. "These are people that have made me a better person, and I'm just so eternally grateful to each one of you."

As the Blue Zones Project concludes, Sanders said Live Well Yuba Sutter will build on five years of progress by supporting healthy eating, promoting active lifestyles and addressing health-related challenges in partnership with organizations including the Yuba-Sutter Food Bank.

The nonprofit also introduced several inaugural board members during the luncheon, including Jackie Sillman, Wendy Zapata, Steve Kroeger, Gary Bradford, Liesl Schmidt, Regina Tall and Jenifer Vasquez. More information is available at http://livewellys.org.