Throughout the Million Step March, Kathy and Gary are joined by a "guest walker" and a medical director from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Dr. Eva Schaff, medical director, joined the walk in Hickory and gave us this report from the road:
I completed my 12-mile walk around Hickory, and not surprisingly at all, I truly enjoyed myself. It was a beautiful day and I love to walk. What is surprising is the fact that I am writing about it. I am not a blogger (just learned that word!) and I do not like writing about my experiences. However, after seeing the disappointment in Gary Marino’s face when I shared my blogging stance, I knew I would end up writing. He is that kind of guy.
The walk was an unexpected pleasure. Even if you did not have the sense of purpose at the onset, you would within a short time into the walk. The enthusiasm of the staff and your fellow walkers was too contagious. Gary’s sense of mission was the uniting factor for the group, but all the participants had something to offer, and did so.
My main conversation pal was Jonathan Adams from BCBSNC’s Charlotte office. I was impressed by this young man’s insight and ideas regarding obesity among different ethnic populations. During the walk, Jonathan and I covered more issues of importance than I remember discussing with anybody for a long, long time. We both remarked how infrequently we take an opportunity to talk with people “for real.” I left feeling I really learned something.
Our walk was split in half by a wellness fair hosted by BCBSNC at Sherrill Furniture. Sherrill’s plant has about 500 employees, mostly upper middle-age, and half of them participated. There was a healthy cooking demonstration, good walking footwear demo, and interactive yoga presentation. I did not expect us to generate much interest in this population. However, believe it or not, the yoga instructor managed to get a sizable group of men to do yoga neck stretches and chit-chat with her about a home exercise program for aches and pains.
Our trail took us through some phenomenally picturesque western North Carolina landscape, and the weather was impeccable. It felt like a gift for a job well done, although it my case hardly deserved, as I did so little but enjoy all the benefits. So, a big thanks to all the organizers and to Gary.
We just finished a special week. Crossing in and then out of Charlotte was a big thrill, but I found two other stops to be particularly special. Special because of the people we met leading county government services in their community.
Last week we met with the Lincoln County and Gaston County employees. Both were recognized for being dedicated workers committed to delivering social, health care and other government services to the members of their community. What was nice about our visit is that while these individuals were all focused on the health and well-being of their citizens, we were able to capture them for a few hours and talked to them about their own personal health.
It was a great exchange of stories - some of successes, some of the struggle of adhering to a healthy lifestyle. For the most part I think the people we met left with a renewed spirit about the importance of their own health and thinking about how they may commit to a healthier lifestyle.
Three cheers for all the dedicated and professional individuals who work in our county government departments. We depend on you daily and we appreciate all that you do for our North Carolina citizens. Feel free to take just a little time each day to think about yourselves and your own good health!
OK gang - forgive the blog headline. A guy's head can turn to mush after 150 miles of walking!
The Blue Ridge Mountains in April were beautiful alright, but nothing like the beautiful oasis the skyline of Charlotte provided. It was good to finally arrive Wednesday at our first major city since leaving Asheville over two weeks ago. And the crowd on The Green Uptown could not have greeted us better. There is a real momentum in the air these days. The Charlotte media came out to cover Kathy and me arriving – WSOC-TV, KATT Radio, and 96.1 FM among them. The video with this post captures our day quite well.
On stage, an eclectic mix of community leaders, sports personalities, Charlotte Bobcats cheerleaders, local Charlotte types, you name it, greeted us warmly and asked for stories from the road. Our rally was a fun-spirited event.
That night we all went to the final Bobcats game of the season, our campaign video was played on the big screen, and Kathy and I were introduced at center court, all while basketball legend Michael Jordan sat just feet away. Now all this was pretty cool... but you know me. My sights are already on the lights of Winston-Salem, just four to five walking days to the north.
That's how you do it here on a 600+ mile walk. You don't think about the distance. You take it a week at a time and a major city at a time. You do the math: 12-mile days times 6 days per week of walking equals more than 70 miles a week. It adds up, doesn't it? And with any luck we'll see you in Winston-Salem on Tuesday for another rally!
The Million Step March pulled into Charlotte today, and we have some early photos to share from the huge event at The Green Uptown.
First up is Kathy Higgins, joined by Fred Whitfield (left), president and chief operating officer of the Charlotte Bobcats, and Mark Richardson (right), president of the Carolina Panthers.
Then we have Gary Marino taking a culinary lesson in fruit juice drinks from Heather Tidwell. Heather is a chef-in-training in the culinary arts program at the Charlotte campus of Johnson & Wales University.
We'll have much more to share from the Charlotte events.
