5,201 kilometres is the distance between Atlantic Canada and Geneva, home of the international Red Cross headquarters. And that’s how far employees and volunteers of the Canadian Red Cross walked on Wednesdays over the past year.
The original group of participants from St. John’s, NL started walking at lunchtime back in 2007.
It started as an initiative of the Canadian Red Cross Wellness Committee in Atlantic Canada back in 2007 when staff started counting their steps using pedometers and walked the distance across Canada, and back! Walking Wednesday evolved into a friendly competition between provinces to encourage people to be more active by doing one of the most basic forms of exercise: walking.
Employees and volunteers participate by submitting the number of minutes walked each Wednesday which is then converted to kilometres. In 2010, the committee challenged Red Crossers to a new goal: walking all the way to Switzerland! It took a year to accomplish the feat, one kilometre at a time. Some people walked in pairs, others went solo or with their dogs, through sleet, rain and snow. Walking Wednesday has been an opportunity for some to spend more time with family members, get to know their colleagues and enjoy the fresh air.
Now it’s time to celebrate the accomplishment and recognize some of the Walking Wednesday heroes. A keen group of 20 walkers representing every part of Atlantic Canada were recognized in an e-newsletter sent by the committee. Dianne Moses is the lone staff member in St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick, but that hasn’t stopped her from being the most consistent participant. She walked 45 Wednesdays out of a potential 53.
Moncton walkers Louise Collette and Cécile Boudreau even use walking as a way to promote Red Cross programs in the community!
“Besides the health benefits, the fresh air and feeling the difference, walking is at least an exercise you can start slowly and build up gently. They say walking is good for the brain... hopefully, in my case, that proves to be valid,” said Dianne Moses, when asked why she got involved.