Photography by Wendy Spain

Suffolk guys show off their ties in the name of health

It might not be your typical pinup calendar, but don’t be surprised in 2012 if you see copies of the Suffolk Partnership for a Healthy Community’s calendar pinned up all around town.

“Guys with Ties” will celebrate some of Suffolk’s healthiest men from all walks of life and from all over the city, according to Partnership officials. Sales of the calendar will benefit the organization’s work to promote healthy lifestyles in Suffolk.

“We know that there are so many people in Suffolk who do lots of good things and live healthy lives, and we wanted to acknowledge them,” said Gin Staylor, chairman of the Friends of the Partnership Committee, whose job it is to encourage people to participate in the parent organization’s programs and activities.

“We wanted to let people know about the goals of the Partnership,” and a calendar seemed like a high-profile way of doing so, she said. “We want everybody to be aware of what the Partnership stands for — we support a healthy community.”

As its name suggests, the calendar features men only, and each of them wears a tie in his photo — though not necessarily in the conventional fashion. All of the men are fully clothed. “The photos are fun, exciting and tasteful,” Staylor said.

Those men who were asked to stand for photos had to live in Suffolk, demonstrate leadership in the community and represent one of the Partnership’s current initiatives — fitness, healthy eating, obesity prevention or community gardens.

In the end, according to Staylor, the calendar features a nice cross-section of the Suffolk community. There are watermen and farmers, professionals and pastors. There are young men in college and older men who’ve retired. There are guys from nearly every part of the city and from all sorts of ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Photography and the cover art for the 12-month calendar were donated by Wendy Spain and Suzanne Pruitt, respectively, and Multi-Print Inc. in Hampton agreed to print the Partnership’s 1,000 copies at cost.

The calendar also features healthy recipes, health tips and important dates of various Partnership-sponsored events.

“Our goal is to make Suffolk one of the healthiest communities anywhere,” Staylor said.

Following a premier party for calendar participants and invited guests during the first part of September, the calendar will be available beginning Sept. 12 at the Suffolk Visitor Center, in the Partnership’s offices at Cross Realty and from a variety of retail locations, both in the downtown area and in North Suffolk.

Copies will sell for $10.