WalkNEIowa website aims to get northeast Iowa walking

Winneshiek Medical Center staff members and friends Judy Abegglen and Jenny Leuenberger have walked twice each day for nearly seven years

A new website aimed at getting northeast Iowa walking, www.WalkNEIowa.org, is now available to the public. The website is stocked with tools and inspiration to help get communities on the move. Downloadable materials on WalkNEIowa.org include printable instructions for how to start a walking group or a walking school bus, as well as community maps of Calmar, Cresco, Decorah, Elkader, Guttenberg, Luther College, New Hampton, Oelwein, Waukon and West Union.
 
The local project was inspired by the national "Walk More. Connect More" campaign of AmericaWalks.org. After extensive message testing, America Walks discovered that people are much more inspired to get going when they learn about walking as an opportunity to build relationships and human connection with others. The initiative hopes to help inspire users to forge connections with others, as well as to connect the dots between walking and their own mental and physical health.
 
Walk More. Connect More is a made possible by partnership between Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative and over 30 regional partners including Winneshiek Medical Center.