Central College students, faculty, staff and community members participated in the statewide Start Somewhere Walk on Oct. 7.
Participants completed a one-kilometer walk from P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium to Pella’s West Market Park and back. It was one of two public walks hosted in Pella and local employers held events of their own. Across Pella, over 4,300 residents participated. President Mark Putnam and the Central College Board of Trustees took a break from their meeting schedule to participate.
Communities throughout Iowa held walks simultaneously at noon on Oct. 7. The event kicked off the Healthiest State Initiative, a plan announced by Governor Terry Branstad in August 2010 to make Iowa the healthiest state in the country. Iowa ranked 19thin 2010, as measured by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
The centerpiece of the Healthiest State Initiative is the Blue Zones Project, a partnership with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Healthways. Pella is campaigning to become one of 10 Blue Zone Communities across the state. Blue Zone Communities will be recognized for their dedication to leading longer, healthier and more productive lives and are chosen in part by citizen voting.
For more information on the Blue Zone Project at Central contact Leslie Duinink at duininkl@central.edu or (641) 628-7643.
