WITH the start of the school year, North Shore families are encouraged to keep daily physical activity a part of their schedule by participating in the Healthy Families B.C. Walking Challenge.
According to a written statement, participants are invited to map walks and share personal experiences online and are eligible for prizes, including pedometers, family packs or the grand prize of one of six family trips to popular provincial destinations.
By registering walks, families can help their community win big too. For example, the communities of Trail, Vernon and Kelowna have been awarded 50 soccer balls and Williams Lake, Hazelton, Coquitlam, Langford, Oak Bay and Victoria have won 100 pedometers.
At the end of the challenge, grand prizes of cash totalling $100,000 will also be awarded. The top five communities in their population-size category with the most submissions will each receive $10,000 to support the development of walking trails.
One of the five winning communities will also be randomly drawn to receive an additional $50,000.
The challenge launched Aug. 8 and ends Sept. 19. It's offered in collaboration with 2010 Legacies Now and funded by the Provincial Health Service Authority as part of the Healthy Families B.C. initiative of the B.C. Ministry of Health.
For more information, visit www. healthyfamiliesbcwalkingchallenge.ca.
