Moving Starke County Forward officials are urging participants in the Walking Challenge to step it up, as the event officially ends Sept. 2. Miles must be turned in by Monday, Sept. 9, reflecting miles walked during the event. A celebration event is planned for Sept. 14 with the final announcement of miles walked, biked or ran by participants, as well as awards and raffles, healthy snacks, health tips and information, and community vendors. T-shirts will also be available for a small donation fee.
One week remains in the Moving Starke County Forward Walking Challenge.
The challenge’s 267 participants have been logging steps over three months to see just how far they could take Starke County around the world. A goal of 3,000 miles was set in the beginning, but when that goal was shattered just a few weeks into the challenge a new goal of 25,000 miles was set. The participants have been sending in their steps daily and sometimes weekly to IU Health Starke County Wellness Director Heather Skelly.
Do you need help logging steps in the Moving Starke County Forward walking challenge?
Those wanting to help step up the effort in reaching a goal of 25,000 miles by Sept. 2 can participate in a walk scheduled in North Judson tonight at 6 p.m. CT. Walkers are to meet at the intersection of State Road 10 and 250 West. A parking area is available at that location.
There are only two more weeks in the Moving Starke County Forward walking challenge. The 267 participants involved in the program have walked 19,617 miles in the campaign which has theoretically taken the group from the county west to Lisbon, Portugal.
The participants in the Moving Starke County Forward program have now “moved” Starke County around the world to Kabul, Afghanistan, for a total of 15,670 miles.
At the beginning of the initiative, officials encouraged all of the participants to walk at least 3,000 miles, or from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge. That goal was blown out of the water and since May 27, those in the program have walked 15,670 and a new goal of 25,000 miles was set. They are inching closer and closer to that goal.
The participants in the Moving Starke County Forward program are moving Starke County around the world!
The goal is now 25,000 miles and those who take part in the program have moved Starke County from New York west to Bangkok, Thailand, which is close to 13,000 miles.
The participants in the Moving Starke County Forward program have officially walked from the Statue of Liberty, past Hawaii, all the way to Beijing, China. That makes 10,677 miles logged by those involved.
The goal is to go all the way around the world by Sept. 2. Make sure you log your steps every week by calling (574) 772-1272.
The Moving Starke County Forward walking challenge is more successful than originally anticipated.
Nancy Dembowski is part of the committee and she says the participants are moving right along.
“You know, we really underestimated the people of Starke County because we started out with a goal of 3,000 miles in hoping we could walk across the United States from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge – we’ve left that in the rear-view mirror,” said Dembowski. “We’re going to walk Starke County around the world now. Walk, run, bike – whatever activity you’re doing. As of July 8, we are nearly at 9,000 miles which takes us to Tokyo, Japan.”
The goal for the Moving Starke County Forward walking challenge has been shattered, according to IU Health Starke Hospital Wellness Specialist Heather Skelly.
The goal was to walk from the Statue of Liberty in New York to the Golden Gate Bridge in California. So far, participants have walked all the way from the Statue of Liberty to Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Moving Starke County Forward Walking Challenge is going quite well.
It is the challenge of those involved to collectively walk the distance from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge and so far 885 miles have been logged. The bar may be raised a little as the results have shown that a 3,000 mile trip will be easily attained.
Nancy Dembowski (middle) presented Anita Goodan (left) and Jerry Curtis (right) with a pedometer to kick off the campaign.
A startling statistic in Starke County has incited an initiative to get residents off the couch and moving. Ted Hayes, marketing and media representative for IU Health Starke Hospital, and Nancy Dembowski of Moving Starke County Forward said a statistic released last year listed the health rankings of counties in Indiana and revealed that Starke County came in second-to-last, ranking 91 out of 92 counties for healthiness. As a result of that, the county has received a grant from the Indiana Department of Health to study the issue and find out how to improve health in the county.
The Moving Starke County Forward coalition wants to improve the health of local residents one step at a time. The coalition is sponsoring a “Moving Starke County Across America” walking challenge to collectively encourage residents to walk, bike or run 3,000 miles between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Participants will have a shot at prizes and raffle drawings after the challenge wraps up in September. It’s estimated that 35 percent of Starke County adults ages 20 and older do not participate in any kind of physical activity, which is nearly last among Indiana residents and leads to health problems like diabetes, cardiac disease and obesity.
You are invited to take part in a walking challenge in Starke County this summer.
The Moving Starke County Forward Committee, Purdue Extension in Starke County and IU Health Starke Hospital are sponsoring this challenge to help improve health in Starke County.
In partnership with the Moving Starke County Forward Coalition, IU Health Starke Hospital is looking to address a community crisis through a Drug Abuse Symposium in downtown Knox. The problem of illegal drug abuse, including that of methamphetamine and prescription drugs, is a problem that affects numerous communities throughout Indiana and the nation, and these organizations are looking to make a difference.
The Moving Starke County Forward organization met in a public session Thursday afternoon and Coordinator Nancy Dembowski said the focus of the meeting was to examine the issue of health in Starke County.
“The idea was just to examine the issue, which is Starke County ranks 91 out of 92 counties in health issues,” said Dembowski. “We wanted to see if we could find some achievable projects or things that could help begin to address the situation.”
Nancy DembowskiA group advocating for a healthy Starke County is holding a community discussion on Thursday in an effort to raise awareness of a number of issues, including the county’s low health ranking, local drug abuse, and the necessity of a preschool project.
A number of local governmental entities have announced their support of Moving Starke County Forward, having declared 2013, “A Year of Health in Starke County.” The North Judson Town Board signed the proclamation in January, while the Starke County Commissioners and Knox City Council had done the same two weeks prior.
Joan Haugh, Donna Henry, Jane Eleen Felchuk, Standing: Justin Davis, Josh Brown, Nancy Dembowski, Ted Hayes, Wendy Hoppe, Tim Cummins.
The North Judson Town Board recently signed a proclamation declaring 2013 “A Year of Health in Starke County.”
Nancy Dembowski, Joan Haugh and Ted Hayes, who are part of the Moving Starke County Forward organization, brought the proclamation to the attention of the board members and emphasized the need for Starke County to improve the health of its citizens.
The committee members informed the board that the organization was formed after learning that Starke County ranked 91st out of 92 counties in issues affecting health. Health issues permeate throughout quality of life issues such as economic development, education, levels of drug use and many other socio-economic factors.
The Town Board voted unanimously to declare the proclamation and offer support for the group. The board was invited to a forum on Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox from 4:30-6 p.m. CT. The committee is looking for input on goals and suggestions to help Starke County be a healthier county.
