IMANI HOUSE, a nonprofit dedicated to providing needed services to low- income youth and families in Brooklyn, will hold the Inaugural Walk-to-Live Walkathon in Prospect Park on Sunday June 23rd. The IMANI HOUSE Walk-to-Live is aimed at bringing awareness to the challenges of obesity among local communities. It was created in response to the high prevalence of childhood obesity, especially among children and families of color, and to encourage families to take control of their own health through walking: an activity that can strengthen bonds between parents, children and communities.
IMANI HOUSE has provided afterschool programming for children for more than a decade and felt it was time to take action and host the walkathon for the communities it serves. With childhood obesity rates disproportionately high among African American and Hispanic youth in NYC, the event intends to foster healthy behaviors among children while they are young enough to develop a lifestyle that they can continue for the rest of their lives.
“We decided that walking together was a great way for our parents to encourage their children to be more active. It’s wonderful for a busy family to slow down, lace up their sneakers and spend some quality time together” Mrs. Bisi Ideraabdullah, founder and Executive Director of IMANI HOUSE, tells BCG. “That way, walking is fun and it doesn’t seem like a burden for children… since they’re just having a good time with their parents.”
The Walk-to-Live includes a 3.5-mile walk around Prospect Park, information on healthy eating and lifestyle habits as well as a potluck family picnic. The event will feature games, prizes and activities for children as well as health and fitness information tables for adults. Proceeds will be used to enhance IMANI HOUSE’s after-school nutrition and physical education projects, to create family walking clubs, to provide public education materials about the benefits of walking and to host subsequent Walk-to-Live events.
The Walk-to-Live Walkathon will run from 9am to 3pm at the Grecian Shelter on Parkside Avenue, in Prospect Park. Everyone is Welcome. Registration is $10 for adults and $5 for children. Those that cannot attend are welcome to make a tax deductible donation in support of this important event.
To find out more about the IMANI HOUSE Walk-to-Live or to register, please visit the event’s designated website www.ihiwalktolive.com or call (718) 638-2059. For more information about IMANI HOUSE and its NY based programs and mission, visit the nonprofit’s website at www.imanihouse.org!
