The Town of Wake Forest is partnering with the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and the Kerr Family YMCA to introduce Walking Wednesdays in Wake Forest. The initiative is designed to create a happier, healthier Wake Forest by encouraging area residents to get in shape, stay fit – and make new friends along the way.
Starting now, area residents are encouraged to form walking groups in areas around town that meet on Wednesdays. Walking locations may include neighborhoods, schools, churches, parks and greenways – just to name a few.
Each walking group is encouraged to appoint a captain who will serve as the group’s official point of contact. Walking group captains are invited to register their group by visiting the Town’s website at www.wakeforestnc.gov/walking-wednesdays.aspx and completing the online registration form.
As walking group registrations are received, the Town will post the walking group meeting locations online as a means of highlighting the array of walking group options available throughout Wake Forest. Each posting will also include the name and email address of the walking group captain and the group’s meeting time. In recognition of the social benefits of walking, area residents are not limited to one walking group and may participate in as few or as many as they wish.
The Walking Wednesdays in Wake Forest series will officially begin Wednesday, May 31, and continue weekly through Wednesday, Aug. 30. Each Wednesday throughout the 14-week series, walking group participants are invited to track and report their activity to their respective group captain, who will be responsible for reporting the group’s total number of “Walking Wednesday” steps. Anyone without a fitness tracker may estimate their steps. As a good rule of thumb, one mile equals 2,000 steps.
Walking group captains will then be encouraged to report their group’s total number of Walking Wednesday steps by 5 p.m. the next day (Thursday). Each week after the walking group captains have reported their group’s total number of Walking Wednesday steps, the Town will announce the cumulative number of steps, and the equivalent number of miles, Wake Forest participants tallied the previous Wednesday. In addition, the Town will unveil a map illustrating the total distance walkers collectively trek across the United States.
Walking Wednesday organizers have scheduled several meetings for potential walking group captains and others interested in learning more about “Walking Wednesdays in Wake Forest.”
The Kerr Family YMCA will host two general information sessions in April. The first session will take place Wednesday, April 19, at 9:30 a.m., while the second will be Wednesday, April 26, at 6 p.m. Both will take place inside the YMCA at The Factory, 1839 South Main Street. Childcare will be provided during each session for children 5 and under.
Additionally, an orientation meeting for walking group captains will be Wednesday, May 24, at 6 p.m. inside the YMCA at The Factory. Childcare will also be provided during this meeting.
For more information about these information sessions, contact Kerr Family YMCA Associate Branch Director Shannon Young at 919-562-9600 or Shannon.young@ymcatriangle.org.
Walking Wednesdays in Wake Forest”is intended to encourage area residents to get out, get moving, make new friends and have fun, so area residents of all ages and fitness levels are invited to participate. For complete details, including “Tips for Starting a Walking Group” and a complete overview of the responsibilities of each walking group captain, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/walking-wednesdays.aspx.
