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For Immediate Release -- Jun 2, 2008
Teams are averaging a collective 22,000 miles a week
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, May 28, 2008 - The miles are adding up for the more than 1,700 metro area adults participating in the Get Moving OKC! Reward Program. In the first six weeks of the 13-week program, 1,722 walkers have logged 132,047 miles and many are witnessing health benefits. Earlier this year the Oklahoma City Community Foundation invited community groups to sign up for the program as a way to encourage adults to improve their health through the simple act of walking. The goal is for each team member to log a total of 10 miles a week for a total of 130 miles.
“This is such a great thing,” says Kathy Thomas, team leader for the Tinker Air Force Base employee team. “I have people I haven’t been able to get into a walking program that are logging over 20 miles a week and one person has been able to get off medications for blood pressure and diabetes.”
Thomas adds that her walkers are tracking their miles to see if as a group they can walk across the country. “We started in Los Angeles and are now in Cheyenne, Wyoming. At the end of the next three weeks, we plan to be in Chicago,” she explains. “We plan to continue walking after the program ends because we want to virtually walk across the United States, stopping at great places to see.”
It is this sort of response and success the Oklahoma City Community Foundation was hoping for when they launched the program on March 30, says Nancy B. Anthony, executive director. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible for groups of adults to support one another and be successful,” she says. “Walking is such a simple form of exercise and it’s a great place to start on a path to a healthier lifestyle. We are thrilled with the individual success stories and the teams’ enthusiasm.”
For the St. Jude Baptist Church’s Saints on the Move team, in addition to reports of loss of weight and inches among the walkers, members are also encouraging co-workers, neighbors and family members to join them. “We are planning on continuing walking after the program ends,” says team leader Queen Spears. “We appreciate this opportunity and it’s been an extra push we all needed.”
A total of 72 teams representing 1,951 adults signed up in time for the official start of the program on March 30th. Teams represent churches, neighborhood associations, employee groups, parent/teacher organizations and nonprofits. Of the 72 teams, 68 remain active. “To have a drop off of only 10 percent is really incredible for a volunteer reporting program,” Anthony says.
To participate, the team members must be at least 18 years of age and reside in central Oklahoma. The required minimum of 10 miles a week has to be in addition to normal daily walking while at home or at work and members cannot exceed 20 miles in a week. The teams who have at least 10 members and up to 25 members successfully complete the program will receive a reward of $100 per person. That’s a potential $2,500 reward that can be used to benefit a special charitable project or organization.
The program concludes on June 29th. For more information including a list of all teams and the team walking logs for the first six weeks, please visit www.GetMovingOKC.org.
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News Release