NATCHEZ — Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell is inviting locals to hop on their bicycles and take a ride with him today.

Grennell is kicking off a program to encourage residents to exercise one day before the start of an educational summit in Natchez on diabetes and heart disease.Interested riders can meet the mayor for the 3:30 p.m. bike ride in front of City Hall on Pearl Street.

Grennell said as part of the recent health initiatives in the city supported by Humana Inc., the Clinton Foundation and others, the city has received funding to promote health and wellness.

“As part of that, I think it’s important for the city’s leadership to serve as role models to demonstrate leadership on this,” Grennell said.

Grennell said he tries to exercise five to seven days a week and was jogging nearly every day before taking the “busy job of being mayor” in July.

“But I still try to take time out to exercise because I know it’s important,” he said. “I know that if I don’t take care of my body, how can I expect to help take care of the city?

“Nobody is perfect, and I am not saying I am, but we know that the healthier we can be and the more we can exercise, the better chance we have at reducing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Another key to reducing diabetes and heart disease, Grennell said, is educating residents on how they can live a healthy lifestyle.

The City of Natchez is sponsoring an educational summit on diabetes and heart disease Wednesday.

The summit hopes to educate representatives of employers, hospitals, clinics and community organizers about reducing diabetes and heart disease through lifestyle changes.

At the free summit, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about reimbursable programs that have been proven to prevent, manage and reverse these conditions.

The programs include the National Diabetes Prevention Program, the Dean Ornish Heart Disease Reversal Program and the Diabetes Self-Management Education Program

The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Natchez Convention Center.

Lunch will be provided. Admission is free.  To register, go to http://diabetescoalition-ms.org/events-programs/.

Sponsors for the event are the City of Natchez, Humana Inc., Novo Nordisk, the YMCA, the Diabetes Coalition of Mississippi, the Clinton Foundation, Healthways and Ornish Lifestyle Medicine.