Corinne Craig is lacing up her running shoes and clipping on her pedometer in the hopes of conquering a mountain for a good cause.
Craig is taking part in the Steptember challenge, an initiative to help raise funds for Cerebral Palsy, a disorder caused by an injury in the developing stages of the brain that can affect both body movement and muscle co-ordination.
The North Vancouver resident and client service manager for BFL Canada Insurance Services Inc. is taking part along with her coworkers. Craig says it all started when BFL's
Calgary office challenged their Vancouver colleagues.
"They have a great group there that are all participating as well and so we were challenged, the whole office in Vancouver, to 'step up,'" she says. "So we met them and we now have 16 teams here, I think, of four people, so 64 employees in total in Vancouver all participating for Steptember. It's great."
Participants can sign up individually or in teams of up to four members and, using provided pedometers, track their daily step count and record their results on the Steptember website. Everyone is challenged to walk 10,000 steps a day for 28 days in September and, as a team, climb one of the virtual Seven Summits, including Mount Everest.
Craig says she practised the day she got her pedometer and racked up about 3,000 steps.
"I was impressed by that but I definitely want to meet the 10,000 steps a day," she says. "I think that's going to be great going walking with my son and my husband and definitely getting out and enjoying the North Shore."
Teams can do more than just walk too, as running, cycling, swimming, yoga and even lawn bowling contribute to the daily step count; more than 40 activities can be converted to steps, including activities for those with disabilities.
Andy Yu, president of the Cerebral Palsy Association of B.C., says their goal this year is to raise $30,000 and have 70 teams, beating last year's totals of $24,000 with 56 teams.
"It raises awareness about CP. Not many people are aware of CP and through this initiative we can get people active, we can start the conversation about CP and as well, promote fitness to the participants and to our members who have CP," says Yu. "The funds that it raises, it goes to our various programs."
Yu says the funds this year will go towards their legal workshops, which educate those with CP about their legal rights and responsibilities. The funds will also go towards the association's community kitchen, which holds presentations for people with CP.
"It's dinner and learn," he says. "They can learn about something, they can have dinner and just get together."
According to the Cerebral Palsy Association of B.C., cerebral palsy is "a non-progressive but changing condition that affects about one out of every 500 individuals" in the province. Those affected by CP may have a lack of co-ordination, spasticity, speech impairments and difficulty with gross and fine motor skills, to name a few.
Steptember started in Australia in 2012 and came to Canada the same year, says Yu, adding that, "it's a worldwide initiative."
Participants can raise funds from online donations made by their sponsors or by holding their own mini fundraiser. Entry into the event is $25 for adults and $10 for children.
Craig says BFL sponsored their employee's participation fees.
"It's left so much more opportunity for all the employees to go out and fundraise and for us to donate personally," she says. "It's great working for a company that's so supportive and involved and wants to promote that healthy lifestyle and encourage employees to participate. It's great being part of that bigger team as well as our little teams."
Craig says there is definitely a friendly competition and a rivalry between the Vancouver office and their Calgary counterparts.
"I think it is pushing everybody to raise more and to walk more steps just because of that friendly competition," she says. "I think it's definitely encouraging us all."
The challenge is also a personal one for Craig, who has known people with CP.
"I think it's great to encourage people to do something like this to raise awareness and to encourage people to donate for such a great cause," says Craig. "I don't think there's enough awareness about so many illnesses that affect so many people, so it's nice to participate in something that does make a difference."
For more information or to register for Steptember, visit steptember.ca.
