The Savannah community gathered Saturday afternoon at the Scarborough Sports Complex to honor former mayor Dr. Otis Johnson with a tree-planting ceremony and a 2-mile walk.Dr. Otis Johnson, founder of Healthy Savannah and a former Savannah mayor, suffered a heart attack in 2006. He has spent nearly 20 years using his second chance at life to promote healthy living. “We have a lot of preventable diseases that if we just change our lifestyle, we might be able to prevent,” Johnson said. He spoke about what it was like to form Healthy Savannah shortly after his heart attack. “The city got together and we started out on this journey, and then we said, well, let’s not just be limited to trying to make our city employees healthier, let’s work to make the entire community healthier,” Johnson said.Now, the city and Healthy Savannah are giving back to him. “We wanted to do something that would be long-lasting. And so we want to plant this tree and see it grow in the same way that us as an organization has grown,” Armand Turner, executive director of Healthy Savannah, said. “I’m very proud that out of a tragedy, or almost tragedy, that I’ve lived to see, grow into this and see this tree planting, and I hope I live long enough to see it bloom,” Johnson said.The 83-year-old shared his secrets to living a long, healthy life. “Two things, lifestyle and genetics, you can’t beat that if you put those two together, you will get a good outcome,” Johnson said.After the ceremony, the crowd completed a 2-mile walk around the Scarborough Sports Complex, putting the event’s healthy-living message into action.
The Savannah community gathered Saturday afternoon at the Scarborough Sports Complex to honor former mayor Dr. Otis Johnson with a tree-planting ceremony and a 2-mile walk.
Dr. Otis Johnson, founder of Healthy Savannah and a former Savannah mayor, suffered a heart attack in 2006. He has spent nearly 20 years using his second chance at life to promote healthy living.
“We have a lot of preventable diseases that if we just change our lifestyle, we might be able to prevent,” Johnson said.
He spoke about what it was like to form Healthy Savannah shortly after his heart attack.
“The city got together and we started out on this journey, and then we said, well, let’s not just be limited to trying to make our city employees healthier, let’s work to make the entire community healthier,” Johnson said.
Now, the city and Healthy Savannah are giving back to him.
“We wanted to do something that would be long-lasting. And so we want to plant this tree and see it grow in the same way that us as an organization has grown,” Armand Turner, executive director of Healthy Savannah, said.
“I’m very proud that out of a tragedy, or almost tragedy, that I’ve lived to see, grow into this and see this tree planting, and I hope I live long enough to see it bloom,” Johnson said.
The 83-year-old shared his secrets to living a long, healthy life.
“Two things, lifestyle and genetics, you can’t beat that if you put those two together, you will get a good outcome,” Johnson said.
After the ceremony, the crowd completed a 2-mile walk around the Scarborough Sports Complex, putting the event’s healthy-living message into action.