Amsterdam on the horizon; looking back at the first 2 segments of the Amazing Walk
The Ms. Fits were out in full force last Friday (May 25) doing their "Eco Friendly" Walk downtown where they filled several bags with litter and swept up sand from around flower beds for removal by the Township.The MFHT hopes that the streets and walking paths of the town will be litter-free by the end of Segment Two!! Submitted photo.
One of the segment 1 prize packages. Photo MFHT
MANITOUWAGE, ON – As 53 teams of 6 people each near Amsterdam (173km from Brussels where they began Segment 2 May 21), the entire community has been taking notice of those participating in the Manitouwadge Family Health Team’s Amazing Walk Challenge.
During Segment 1, the Manitouwadge Cancer Assistance Group saw more than 90 Amazing Walk participants among the 150 people who checked in to their Annual Share the Care 5km walk (CLICK HERE for full story) while earlier that week, the township’s Annual Flea Market, which had very low response in regards to people booking tables, had a significant amount of foot traffic due in large part to its being a ‘Pit Stop’ for the walk.
During Segment 2, community activism and benefits to Manitouwadge as a whole have continued. Many people have been seen, over the course of the past 2 weeks, participating in the ‘Eco-Walk Challenge’ pit-stop in which teams were provide with gloves and garbage bags and asked to collect trash as they walked for their regular, mandatory kilometres. The Eco-Walk, combined with the clean-up work done by local schools on their recent community clean-up day, has had a visible impact on the town reducing litter on streets, pedestrian ways and local greenspaces considerably.
Other pit-stops during Segment 2’s walk from Brussels to Amsterdam, included: team members attending the always popular Annual Children’s Festival and completing Fire Safety and Recreation questionnaires. However, it is not just the Pit-Stops or activities initiated by the MFHT (organizers of the Amazing Walk) which are motivating people, nor just participants of the walk who are becoming more active. For example, having received requests from people interested in taking their Amazing Walk adventures off the pavement, the Manitouwadge Conservation Club decided to bring back the “Nature Walks” they had offered several years ago – May 26th was the first and another is planned, a wildflower hike up Enns’, for this Saturday, June 2nd. Many people, not officially registered for the Amazing Walk, are also getting in on the fitness and fun as they join their friends or family who are Amazing Walkers.
If you would like to follow the progress of participating teams, cheer them on, see reminders of pit-stops each segment, or view photos and videos from the challenge, visit www.AmazingWalk.info OR the Manitouwadge Family Health Team’s Amazing Walk facebook page (Click here for the latter).
Those participating are reminded that they have until 4pm this afternoon to have their team’s completed Fire Safety Questionnaire (all must be handed in together) dropped off at the township office and that your Team Passport and Captain’s Log Book must be exchanged for your Segment 3 package at that Manitouwadge Family Health Team’s office no later than Monday.
CONGRATULATIONS! to the 53 teams who completed Segment 1 and GOOD LUCK to all as you continue the Amazing Walk Challenge to better health and wellbeing.
