81 Idaho mayors participating in annual mayor's walking challenge
Photo by TONIA BROOKS Mayor Dick Staples with his “chief advisor,” Wilson, prepare and look forward to the next four years of service to the City of Bonners Ferry.
As part of the Mayor’s Walking Challenge, Idaho mayors get moving this month and earn money for their community. The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health promotes the importance of being physically active.
This year’s challenge attracted 81 mayors, who can earn up to $1,000 for their efforts. Mayors can participate in two ways:
• Walk an average of 5,000 steps a day during October to earn $500 for their community.
• Walk an average of 10,000 steps a day during October to earn $1,000 for their community.
“We are grateful that so many of our mayors are making time to do what’s good for their own health, as well as benefiting their communities,” said Kendra Witt-Doyle, executive director of Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health. “These mayors are setting a great example about the importance of being active. Walking is one of the easiest and best things people can do for their health.”
Since the Mayor’s Walking Challenge became a statewide event in 2018, Idaho mayors have earned $206,000 for their communities. Those funds have contributed to a variety of projects and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle across Idaho, including playgrounds, physical education equipment for schools, walking clubs, amenities at parks, scholarships for youth programs, and more.
When asked at a recent city council meeting if he would be participating, Bonners Ferry Mayor Dick Staples responded with a definite yes, giving the same answer when asked if he participated in 2020.
“But you didn’t win,” quipped Councilwoman Valerie Thompson, eliciting a laugh from the mayor.
Staples admitted he “fell a little bit short of 10,000 last year,” but has every intention of hitting that goal for the 2021 walk.