GET MOVING TOGETHER
- Mayors can make themselves more accessible to residents by giving them the opportunity to meet and talk, while becoming more active in the process.
- A simple brisk walk can help maintain weight, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve balance and coordination. A walk with the mayor will not only encourage residents to walk, but also become more involved in their community.
- Mayors also get their own exercise while setting an example for their town and getting to know their community members.
FOLLOW THEIR LEAD!
On the third Wednesday of each month, residents of Cherry Hill join Mayor Chuck Cahn on a 2-mile walk around Cherry Hill Mall. This is a chance for community members to meet the Mayor and other township department heads in a relaxed and inviting setting. To learn more about Cherry Hill’s Walk with the Mayor and other campaign programs, click here, or visit the Cherry Hill Mayors Wellness website.
ACTION STEPS
Find a Time
- Determine when to walk. Do you want to host walks in a particular season every week for six weeks, or do you want to have a monthly walk throughout the year?
- Clear your schedule and stay committed. Participation will grow with each event, as friends and neighbors participate and bring other people with them.
- Consider whether the walk should be a weekday “after-work” event or a weekend event.
Map Out Your Walk
- Your walk can be in a local park, walking trail, the mall, a school track, or a designated route around town.
- Make sure it is a safe place for a group of people to walk at a steady pace.
- Consider an appropriate length. If you keep it shorter, more can participate. You can also walk in laps so people can join you for the entire walk, or just for part of it.
Get the Word Out
- Hang up posters or flyers, send out emails and reach out to local government, faith based organizations, schools, and senior centers to promote the walk.
- If it becomes a popular program, begin having signups.
- Encourage people to bring a friend or neighbor.
- Consider bringing along other guests of honor such as popular business leaders, other elected officials, or town celebrities.
- Make it clear whether this is a family event or for adults only. Can people bring babies in strollers? What about their pets?
- In promotional materials, let people know whether the walk will be cancelled for inclement weather and how they can find out.
Make it Fun!
- At every walk, make sure you greet everyone as they gather. Thank them for coming.
- Encourage participants to walk for as long as they are able, and to feel free to rest and slow down anytime – it’s not a race.
- Vary your own pace so you can mix and mingle with your constituents. Listen to them and encourage them to choose a healthy lifestyle.
- When the walk is over, be sure to thank everyone for coming and invite them back for the next walk. Challenge them to bring two to three people with them.
MORE RESOURCES
See How the Mayor of Boise Idaho Got His Community Walking
American Heart Association: How to Start a Walking Club
Partnership for Prevention: Community-Based Walking Program
Health Benefits of Walking