Vicki Baker
Earlier this year members of the Kiwanis Club (along with friends and neighbors) accepted the 830-mile exercise challenge to “walk across Texas”. Walk Across Texas! is an educational program of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service established to help people of all ages start moving more and establish physical activity as a lifetime habit. As a part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Family and Community Health (FCH) unit, it helps Texans better their lives through science-based educational programs designed to improve the overall health and wellness of individuals, families and communities.
So, we established two teams of eight members each and joined thousands of fellow Texans on a daily walk with the free eight-week program. Our goal, walk 830 miles across Texas, the approximate distance from Texarkana to El Paso. To achieve this, every individual on each team needed to walk an average of 13 miles per week; some would walk more, others less. Also, we didn’t have to walk the whole way. We could run, ride a bike, dance and do yard work. Any physical activity counted.
Over the eight-week period, Team Kiwanis Kiwalkers (Jim Galbraith, Marv Daniels, Joan Petre, Barbara Leurig, Milt Glenn, Vicki Baker, Betsy Sheats and Kathy Perry) reported 1430 miles, averaging 22 miles for each walker per week. The Kiwalkers actually walked from Texarkana to El Paso and roughly 600 miles back to the starting point. It was a remarkable team effort led by top walkers Vicki (369 miles), Marv (196 miles) and Joan (190 miles).
The Robson Speeders (Scott Baker, Ellen Cheshire, Paul Dorwaldt, Brenda Jones, Gerald Jones, Mareen Lehrer, Ron Lehrer, and Susan Parker) completed 1409 miles, again averaging 22 miles per walker per week, the equivalent of walking from Texarkana to El Paso, then back to Mineral Wells. Top performers were Scott (342 miles), Ellen (290 miles) and Susan (222 miles).
Walk Across Texas! was not a walk-a-thon or an event to raise money. While teams could compete to walk across the state first and/or to accumulate the most miles during the eight weeks, the main objective was to get moving and to keep moving after the program concluded. The Kiwanis Kiwalkers and Robson Speeders successfully stood up to the challenge walking a total of 2839 miles.
Community involvement, service and outreach are the bedrock of Kiwanis Club Robson Ranch. Interested in learning more? Come join the Kiwanis Club Robson Ranch every first and third Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the Clubhouse or contact Art Masciere at [email protected].