We have a guest blog post from Mark Stinneford from the Corporate Communications department at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Mark joined the Million Step March for two days last week:
As the Million Step March walkers trudged along a rainy and lonely rural road last week, you couldn’t have blamed them if they had wondered if it was all worth it. But their impact became clear as they met cheering school children during sun-splashed rallies Friday at Stoney Point Elementary and Bill Hefner Elementary schools in Fayetteville.
The schools' third graders are competing this week to see which can log the most steps. Gary and guest walker Kim Hargrove, a BCBSNC customer service specialist, pumped up the crowd. The children at Stoney Point did a special Million Step March cheer. But Bill Hefner PE teacher Greg Beasley said his group would not be outdone. Wearing a safari hat that looked like a rattan lamp shade, Greg insisted that Hefner kids would walk during art class, music class and lunch.
Getting North Carolinians enthused about walking and other simple forms of physical activity is what the Million Step March is all about. The energy of the Fayetteville students was a good boost for the walkers as they make the final push to the sea.
We entered Pitt County and quickly found our way to the emerald city in eastern North Carolina. Greenville and East Carolina University was our host site for our Million Step March mobile wellness tour, and both the day and the people we met were perfect!
There is something special about this community and how it comes together to rally and collaborate around important issues, such as the health and well-being of its residents.
When we knew that Greenville would be on our statewide walk route, the first call we made was to the well-known community spark plug, Alice Keene. When it comes to doing anything about making Pitt County better, Alice is one who is eager to be at the table. She is a person of creativity, commitment and resourcefulness, and as such, Alice became our point person in planning our community impact event for the Million Step March. Alice enlisted the support of other key "can-do" residents and leaders by tapping Nance Mize of ECU and others. Before you could say "Walk this way," this small but mighty group had a great idea for a unique community fitness event.
Their answer to the Million Step March was to engage enough school children, senior centers, worksite wellness programs and community groups to all walk at least a mile on this day and deliver the collective equivalent of a million steps, or about what it takes to walk from the mountains to the coast in North Carolina.
The road to personal health is started by taking your first step and by making a commitment to keep on going. The ability to inspire a community to adopt the culture of a healthy environment requires leadership and collaboration on many levels. We found these key ingredients in Greenville and we salute your efforts and commitment to better health!
Thank you for inspiring us, and best wishes for your continued success in building health into your community!
This video "Share Your Story" comes from Theresa, who came out to the Raleigh rally on Tuesday. Valerie Egel of the Million Step March team from BCBSNC did the honors on the interview.
