The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
With the price of gas rising out of control, itÕs the perfect time to leave the car at home and either walk or bike to work. The in motion committee will be back on lookout for workers who are leaving their vehicles in the driveway and getting on the bicycle or getting out the walking shoes. In motion co-chair Fran Labarre says the Hike or Bike to Work Week kicks off June 2 and she says itÕs a good way to get rolling for the summer. ÒItÕs a kickoff for Get Caught in motion. You can continue walking for the rest of the summer and get in motion,Ó says Labarre. For those who walk to work, and not just walking to their cars, they can enter their name for a chance to win one of three prizes. And since this is the kickoff, the in motion challenge will continue through the summer. Last year 239 names were in the ballot box for the Hike or Bike to Work Week and 700 in for the Get Caught in motion. This year, Labarre hopes to be able to double those numbers. The Get Caught in motion will start on June 9, once the work week challenge is over. ÒThe Get Caught in motion patrol will be out all summer catching people out in motion,Ó she says. The challenge is open to everyone. Labarre says there are plenty of ways of being in motion, some of which you might not have realized. ÒIt could be kids playing soccer, gardening, walking and walking the dog with the family is a good one,Ó she says. Last yearÕs winner walked away with a new mountain bike, but this year, the residents will be getting caught for their chance to win one of three Wii systems. ÒThis is open to everyone Ð kids, teens and seniors. The weather is nice, so there is no reason they canÕt walk. ÒWe want to encourage families to get out there together also,Ó she says. As the in motion patrol will be hitting the streets in the mornings, evening and weekends, Labarre says you can enter someone elseÕs name in the draw. ÒWeÕre also going to randomly give out pool passes and driving range passes,Ó she says, Òto people getting caught in motion all summer. ÒSo really, there is a chance to win several hundred prizes.Ó As well as Get Caught in motion, Labarre and other in motion members will be hitting the parks and beaches to hand out sun screen and preach sun safety. ÒThis is when we go out to the lakes and parks and remind people of the importance of wearing sunscreen, sunglasses, hats and drinking lots of water. If you stay safe and healthy, you can enjoy the summers,Ó she says. In part with the sun patrol, Labarre and her crew will be doing Park Daze again this year with a number of in motion events. In July the team will be in Willowvale Park and the park in Creighton in August. ÒThe in motion event emphasizes physical activity and fun. There will be lots of fun things for the kids,Óshe says. Those who participate will be able to enjoy some healthy snacks, limbo, tug-of-war, music, parachute games, potato sack races and hula hoops. ÒItÕs just a summer fun thing for the kids,Ó says Labarre. For more information contact Fran Labarre at the NORMAN Regional Health Authority at 687-1355.
