More than 300 Participate in Maitland Walks Launch
More than 300 people who live and work in Maitland gathered for a ribbon-cutting and mile-long walk on Maitland Center Parkway April 4 to celebrate the launch of Healthy Central Florida’s (HCF) new walking initiative—Maitland Walks.
Supported by a Health Innovation Grant awarded by HCF, Maitland Walks includes a series of walking paths in the Maitland area which now have distances marked off every one-tenth of a mile. The use of markers on walking paths has been shown to inspire people to walk more and longer, according to Jill Hamilton Buss, HCF Executive Director.
Attendees at the kick-off event also enjoyed free, healthy boxed lunches, fun music, and giveaways including t-shirts, pedometers, passes to RDV Sportsplex, and the opportunity for their company to win Fitbit Flexes. Some also enjoyed free smoothies from HCF’s Blender Bike – a bike outfitted with a blender that runs on pedal power.
Most importantly, participants took part in a 20-minute walk along a portion of the newly marked path in the Maitland Office Center Complex (MOCC).
Maitland Walks was one of 10 HCF Health Innovation Grants awarded to local projects aimed at promoting healthy activity in our communities. This new walking initiative was also supported by Florida Hospital, the Winter Park Health Foundation, the City of Maitland and the Maitland Public Library.
HCF is a community-based initiative founded by WPHF and Florida Hospital to help create the healthiest communities in the U.S.
Click here to see a map of the new routes in the Maitland Center Office Complex, at Lake Lily Park, and at Lake Minnehaha Park. Let Healthy Central Florida know of any places in the Maitland area in which you’d like to see a marked walking path! Contact Asher Levine at [email protected]
