Appendix 11A
Letter requesting Church’s Endorsement
February 24, 2003
Dear Sir or Madam:
Walking was a daily event in Jesus’ life, and it should be one in ours as well. I have recently been asked to assist in a public health campaign for the Wheeling area to promote increased physical activity and reduce the burden of overweight, heart disease and diabetes. WHEELING WALKS is an intensive, eight-week, multimedia campaign aimed at communicating a simple but important health message: that regular walking can provide energy, help people feel better, give a person more time, and improve overall health. And it doesn’t take much time.
We regularly see people in our congregations who are suffering many of these diseases. I feel that in an attempt to feel closer to the Lord we should take better care of our bodies. After all, they are gifts from God. I have agreed to assist with this campaign and in an effort to increase walking and knowledge of its benefits, I am planning a Prayer-Walk on Sunday, April 22, 2001. By walking with the congregation in prayer, I hope to encourage walking, praying, and meditating on the life Jesus, Our Saviour.
Please join me in endorsing the WHEELING WALKS Campaign and participating in a Prayer-Walk on April 22nd. And remember, we live in a hurried, fast paced, running world. I don’t believe there is any passage of scripture where Jesus is said to be running. Even when people were trying to kill him, he walked. Even to his death on the cross, he walked. Please join us.
Sincerely,
Reverend Darrell Cummings
Appendix 11B
Campaign Insert for Church Bulletin
Scientists now confirm that lack of physical activity contributes significantly to death and disability in the United States. It is estimated that physical inactivity alone annually accounts for approximately 200,000 deaths. In West Virginia, 68 percent of the adult population reported little or no physical activity in 1998 and ranked third worst among the 50 states for having no leisure-time physical exercise at all.
To improve heart, brain, and other body functions at all ages, current public health guidelines recommend moderate physical activity (30 minutes or more) on almost every day. Successfully communicating this information to communities in ways that actually prompt individuals to put on their walking shoes and WALK requires a new approach and this is exactly what WHEELING WALKS is attempting to do.
WHEELING WALKS is a campaign dedicated to the health and well being of all Americans. West Virginia University, Department of Community Medicine is pleased to be developing a model project to help all Americans get off the couch and out the door to take a walk. This serious research, being conducted by Bill Reger, Ed.D., will hopefully prove a model for physical activity not just for West Virginia and the United States, but for the world. This 8-week program beginning April 17, 2001 will educate the citizens of Wheeling to the benefits of walking through a powerful media campaign. Because we will be measuring the impact of this media campaign upon the citizens of Wheeling it is necessary to keep the general public unaware of this project until it actually begins. Several local clubs and civic organizations, along with our Advisory Committee made up of interested local citizens, have already been working hard to put this campaign together. So get ready, get set and let’s go - we’ll be keeping you informed of our progress and together I know that we can conduct a successful campaign that will lead to a healthier and more active Wheeling.