18 Jan 2017 Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Treadmills
I went to a new gym last week. I realize lots of people went back to gyms over the past few weeks as part of a blurry eyed pact they made with themselves on New Year’s Eve, but my visit was different.
I don’t spend much time in gyms, I am more of a yoga studio, paddleboard, walk on the beach or through the Six Mile Slough type. But on one of the coldest days of the year in Southwest Florida I shed my boots for a pair of tennis shoes and joined the Healthy Lee Coalition to launch their 2017 Million Mile Movement at Around the Clock Fitness in Fort Myers.
The Million Mile Movement is an initiative of Healthy Lee designed to inspire healthy lifestyle choices by challenging the residents of Lee County to collectively move 1,000,000 miles by March 31, 2017. Moving doesn’t mean just walking. Biking, rowing, swimming are all ways of logging those sought after miles.
So it was only fitting that companies and individuals gathered at a fitness center to set their goals to help get Lee County to that million-mile mark.
By the end of the launch, major sponsors were already on treadmills clocking in the first of many miles to come. I woke up the next morning wondering if they were still there chasing the promised miles by their companies. There seemed to be some healthy competition brewing between school systems and municipalities which always makes for a fun challenge.
Outside of all the health benefits I am inspired to see the community coming together to support a common goal. The idea of teams or individuals designing a strategy unique to them while still keeping the overall mission in sight is a cornerstone of creating change together.
No one person or organization has the ability to achieve large scale goals on their own. Healthy Lee has already proven that working together can improve health outcomes for Lee County. The Million Mile Movement allows residents from all over the county to come together and accomplish something that is good for them personally and for our community.
So, no matter if going to the gym made your 2017 resolution list or not, join the movement at HealthyLee.com or (http://healthylee.com/news-events/million-mile-movement/) and help Lee County reach a million miles. If you are looking to join a team the Southwest Florida Community Foundation welcomes you to join us ChangeMakers@Southwest Florida Community Foundation. It will be good for all of us. See you in sneakers!
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. Last year, the Foundation partnered with individuals, families and corporations who have created over 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, the foundation has invested $5 million this year in grants and programs to the community. With assets of $93 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $67 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan. Based in Fort Myers, the Foundation has satellite offices located in Sanibel Island, LaBelle (Hendry County), and downtown Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.FloridaCommunity.com or call 239-274-5900.