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The popularity and effectiveness of Moffat County's Wellness Wednesday program has increased dramatically in its brief, three-month history, senior outreach coordinator Cathy Vanatta said.

And with additional money the program will receive as part of a grant from the Daniels Fund, an endowment funding non-profit organizations in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming, the program will only improve, she added.

"Where it is now is not at all where I see it going," Vanatta said.

On Monday, the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Ass-ociation announced the Daniels Fund had awarded its Aging Well Program, of which Wellness Wednesday is a part, with a $200,000 grant. The allocation marks the second consecutive year the Daniels Fund has funded Aging Well.

The money will be used to expand Aging Well, a service specializing in physical and mental wellness in seniors 50 years and older, in Moffat and Routt counties as well as include offerings in Hayden. VNA officials said the senior-based program focuses on "healthy aging."

About 150 Moffat County seniors participate in Aging Well through fitness classes, Colorado Northwestern Community College courses and seminars. The program was officially started in 2005, but didn't take shape until 2006, VNA officials said.

Daniels Fund grant money helped launch Wellness Wednesdays in Moffat County, a day set aside for senior physical fitness classes and other activities at American Legion Post 62 on Moffat County Road 7.

Vanatta said the Moffat County arm of Aging Well is made possible through collaboration of the VNA, the community college, the American Legion and the Moffat County extension office. Each group brings a helpful element to the table, she said.

"We're working together," Vanatta said. "It takes several of us to pull this together."

Dace Kramer, VNA Aging Well coordinator, said the Daniels Fund allocation demonstrates its ongoing confidence in the VNA and merits of the Aging Well Program.

"They've looked at our progress and said, 'You guys are doing great things and with continued funding, we think you can do more great things,'" Kramer said.

"This (grant) is really a cornerstone of the Aging Well Program," she added. "It's absolutely important. We are very proud of the Daniels Fund's confidence in us."

Kramer credited Vanatta with the program's success.

"Really, she deserves all the credit for putting it together," Kramer said. "She has done an outstanding job. We are really grateful for what she's done in Moffat County."

Vanatta said she and Kramer are working on the specifics of how the grant money will be used to expand senior programs in Moffat County.

For more information on Aging Well, call Vanatta at 826-0807.

Joshua Roberts can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 210, or jroberts@craigdailypress.com.