Malad City Mayor Joan Hawkins has been participating in the Mayor’s Walking Challenge since 2017 when the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health made the annual event available to Eastern Idaho mayors for the first time.

Hawkins has earned funding each year to help her community be more active, but this year Hawkins had help from her community. She organized the Malad City Walking Challenge, even promoting the contest in the local county newspaper. There were 31 participants (nearly 10 percent of Malad’s population of 4,125).

“These ladies, and a few men, made it fun this year,” Hawkins said. “It was really nice to have some locals pushing me.”

Hawkins awarded T-shirts to the top-five walkers in the challenge and even provided a trophy to the person who took the most steps. The winner gets to keep the award until next year’s event. She’s already brainstorming how to do more, including a potential 5k run-walk and perhaps a shorter race for the children.

Heather Howe was one of the participants who enjoyed the Malad Walking Challenge.

“It’s hard sitting at a desk all day, but this kept me motivated to get out and walk to and from work,” she told the Idaho Enterprise newspaper. “Having a daily goal helped me to just keep moving.”

What a great example to set by being active and encouraging members of the community to do the same!