State Senator Mary Lou Rath (R,C,I-Williamsville) has announced the end of the third year of her successful Walk the Villages program in Area I (Akron, Batavia, Clarence, LeRoy, Kenmore and Williamsville). A wrap-up celebration for Walk the Villages organizers was held at the Clarence Town Park Clubhouse on October 11, 2007.
Senator Rath sponsors the free, community-based walking program in Akron, Batavia, Clarence, Kenmore, LeRoy and Williamsville. The program expanded this year to include Area II, which is comprised of Alden, East Aurora, Ellicottville, Lancaster, Orchard Park. The wrap-up celebration included both Areas I and II, with each Village Committee in attendance.
Since June, hundreds of Western New Yorkers have been ‘walking the villages.’ The program encourages people to walk their own community and then explore neighboring communities on foot. The wrap-up celebration featured the drawing for the Grand Prize giveaways for both Areas.
"Walk the Villages has been such a success," said Senator Rath. "Each year the program is able to grow and expand to include more and more villages who want to participate. The wrap-up celebration was a perfect opportunity for those who coordinated the program to share their experiences, as well as award some terrific prizes from local businesses to some of the dedicated walkers."
"We are once again amazed by the amount of people who walked in not only Area I, but the new Area II as well," said Dick Rich, General Program Coordinator. "The economic benefits that Walk the Villages provides to a business are as incredible as the health benefits. There were over 2,000 people walking in Area I this summer, as well as almost 1,000 people walking in Area II. The program has been so successful we are planning on adding two more areas, which will be south and north of the current locations for next year.
Winners of the Area I Grand Prizes from Erie County included: Ellen Held (Amtrak tickets); Doug Geiger (Asa Ransom House package); Barbara Stafford (Canandaigua Wine & Culinary Center package); Marsha Guillaume (Clarence Chamber gift certificate package); Penny Ferguson (Darien Lake Theme Park Resort package); Camille Hoey (Elliott Travel Toronto package); Dave Bullions (Jell-O/LeRoy gift package).
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