Mayors across Idaho earn $107,500 for local communities in walking challenge

The following is a news release from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health.

BOISE – Record participation led to the largest payout in the 12-year history of the Mayor’s Walking Challenge, a program of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health that promotes the importance of physical activity.

In all, 118 Idaho mayors hit a step goal and earned a collective $107,500 for their communities by walking during the challenge in October. Mayors earned $500 in grant funding for walking 155,000 steps in October (5,000 daily average) or $1,000 for walking 310,000 steps (10,000 daily average).

“We continue to be awed by the dedication of so many Idaho mayors who were willing to put their best feet forward for the good of their communities and their own personal health,” Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Program Officer Lisa Bearg says. “The amount of engagement between mayors, schools and each other was amazing to see. Walking is one of the best things people can do for their health, and these mayors set a great example during the Mayor’s Walking Challenge.”

Mayors were able to earn bonus steps for walking with children, seniors, and other mayors, sharing their participation on their city or personal social media accounts, and dressing up and walking in a Halloween costume. Those bonus steps help mayors make up for a day they didn’t get as many steps as needed and created awareness about the importance of physical activity, an underlying goal of the Mayor’s Walking Challenge.

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The funds earned by mayors will support a variety of projects and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle, including playgrounds, physical education equipment for schools, park amenities, scholarships for youth programs, support for local food banks, and more. 

The Mayor’s Walking Challenge has returned more than $805,000 to Idaho communities since 2014.