Mayors rise to the 'Challenge'

The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health announced Monday that it will be awarding $113,350 to Idaho communities on behalf of the 123 Idaho mayors who completed the annual Mayor’s Walking Challenge in October.

“This challenge is about so much more than steps. It's about mayors connecting with the people they serve and leading by example. We are grateful that we have so many mayors willing to champion healthier communities,” said Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Program Officer Lisa Bearg.

The Mayor’s Walking Challenge has returned $919,900 to Idaho communities over the past 13 years. Those funds support a variety of projects and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle, including playgrounds, physical education equipment for schools, park amenities and scholarships for youth programs.

The Mayor’s Walking Challenge incentivizes mayors to walk at least 5,000 steps per day in October by awarding their communities grant funds based on the number of steps they walk. Mayors can earn $500 in grant funds if they walk 165,000 steps in October (a 5,000-step daily average) or $1,000 if they walk 310,000 steps (a 10,000-step daily average). 

In honor of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health’s 25th anniversary, the nonprofit is giving each participating mayor an additional $25 toward their grant.

Mayors from 43 of Idaho’s 44 counties participated and earned funding this year and the 123 participants are the most ever to finish the challenge. Additionally, the $113,350 in grant funding awarded is the highest total since the event started in 2014. The Walkling Challenge began as a Treasure Valley-based competition but went statewide in 2018.

In North Idaho, 39 mayors participated. They included Curt Jernigan, Dalton Gardens; Ray Watkins, Fernan; Alan Davis, Hayden; Ron Plank, Kellogg; Kip McGillivray, Osburn; Skip Robinett, Pinehurst; John Hodgkinds, Rathdrum; Jessica Frank, Smelterville; Charlene Phipps, Spirit Lake; Tina Thomson, St. Maries; and Chase Sanborn, Wallace.

Many mayors took time to walk with children at schools and community members to promote the importance of physical activity, the release said.

    Phipps
  

    Jernigan
  

    Fernan Lake Village Mayor Ray Watkins listens to comments during a meeting on the Fernan Lake draft management plan presented Tuesday at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library Community Room.
  

    Hodgkins