Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition and SFA promote Walk Across Texas
By: Marie Leonard
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: News
The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition worked in conjunction with members of the community and SFA last month to put together a grant application for a possible $50,000 Parks and Recreation Grant for Nacogdoches County.
Members of the Coalition along with volunteers from the community and SFA surveyed local park dwellers to provide insight as to what improvements are needed in local parks. Dr. Kimberly Archer, Dr. Dawnella Rust and Dr. Dean Kniss of SFA worked together to write out the grant application using the data acquired from the surveys.
The state of Texas is currently reviewing all applications and will notify the grant winners on April 10. The final awards will be given on April 16, which is when Nacogdoches County will find out if it received the grant.
In the meantime, the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition is teaming up with SFA faculty and students to participate in Walk Across Texas, a yearly program that was created by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Participants form groups of eight, including one group leader. Each week the group members report back to the group leader the number of miles walked, as well as the amount of weight lost.
Participants will measure the number of miles walked each day with pedometers and will use conversion charts online to measure what daily activities amount to miles walked. Walking can be done anywhere, including walking to classes, to and from the parking lot or along one of the local trails.
Professors in the human sciences and kinesiology departments are offering extra credit, depending on the class, for participating in Walk Across America. There are many SFA faculty members who are also participating this year.
"If students see faculty getting involved, it may encourage more students to participate," Mary Olle, professor of human sciences, said.
Juanita Finkenberg, faculty member in theatre, is participating in Walk Across Texas this year. "People like competition," she said. "The buddy system aspect helps people feel more obligated to want to participate."
Each team has different reasons for participating. There are social, physical, health and competition aspects in the program.
Currently the competition is county to county, but it will eventually go statewide depending on the results. The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition plans to give prizes to the top three teams who walk the most miles in both the SFA community and the city of Nacogdoches.
There are currently 90 teams of eight members signed up in Nacogdoches County. Nacogdoches County is second to only Dallas County in the number of teams signed up across the state. SFA students or faculty who still want to sign up or get more information can do so online at walkacrosstexas.tamu.edu.
The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition also has a group page on mySFA that has more information about the program. The deadline to sign up is Thursday evening, March 26, and the program begins Sunday, March 30.
Members of the Coalition along with volunteers from the community and SFA surveyed local park dwellers to provide insight as to what improvements are needed in local parks. Dr. Kimberly Archer, Dr. Dawnella Rust and Dr. Dean Kniss of SFA worked together to write out the grant application using the data acquired from the surveys.
The state of Texas is currently reviewing all applications and will notify the grant winners on April 10. The final awards will be given on April 16, which is when Nacogdoches County will find out if it received the grant.
In the meantime, the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition is teaming up with SFA faculty and students to participate in Walk Across Texas, a yearly program that was created by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Participants form groups of eight, including one group leader. Each week the group members report back to the group leader the number of miles walked, as well as the amount of weight lost.
Participants will measure the number of miles walked each day with pedometers and will use conversion charts online to measure what daily activities amount to miles walked. Walking can be done anywhere, including walking to classes, to and from the parking lot or along one of the local trails.
Professors in the human sciences and kinesiology departments are offering extra credit, depending on the class, for participating in Walk Across America. There are many SFA faculty members who are also participating this year.
"If students see faculty getting involved, it may encourage more students to participate," Mary Olle, professor of human sciences, said.
Juanita Finkenberg, faculty member in theatre, is participating in Walk Across Texas this year. "People like competition," she said. "The buddy system aspect helps people feel more obligated to want to participate."
Each team has different reasons for participating. There are social, physical, health and competition aspects in the program.
Currently the competition is county to county, but it will eventually go statewide depending on the results. The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition plans to give prizes to the top three teams who walk the most miles in both the SFA community and the city of Nacogdoches.
There are currently 90 teams of eight members signed up in Nacogdoches County. Nacogdoches County is second to only Dallas County in the number of teams signed up across the state. SFA students or faculty who still want to sign up or get more information can do so online at walkacrosstexas.tamu.edu.
The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition also has a group page on mySFA that has more information about the program. The deadline to sign up is Thursday evening, March 26, and the program begins Sunday, March 30.
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