Get Fit & Fundraise for The Wesley Community in Saratoga Springs, NY
Content sponsored by The Wesley Community
Spring is the perfect time of year to head outdoors, soak up the sun, and get fit. To encourage fitness and raise funds for a major project, The Wesley Community in Saratoga Springs will host the 2021 Share a Step on May 21 - 27, a virtual event to benefit their Campaign for Springs. Would you like to turn your spring fitness into a fundraiser? If so, then learn more about this year's Share a Step below.
The Wesley Community: Serving Older Adults in the Saratoga Area
The Wesley Community is a non-profit health and housing services provider that offers a unique blend of high-quality community living and caregiving. They have helped seniors in the Saratoga Springs region for over 45 years and empowered them to live independent and healthy lives.
Wesley serves approximately 700 older adults, and their campus includes affordable independent senior housing and independent & assisted living apartments. The organization provides expert nursing, memory care, and senior home care services as well.
Walk, Run, and Bike in Support of The Campaign for Springs
Back in 2018, The Wesley Community kicked off a new annual fundraising event called Share a Step. Their aim was to promote fitness in people of all ages and to raise money in support of The Wesley Community's various initiatives and funds. During the event, individuals and teams worked toward accomplishing their walking, running, biking, and fundraising goals.
Although last year's event raised money for their COVID-19 Relief Fund, the 2021 Share a Step will benefit The Campaign for Springs, an ongoing project to renovate the Springs Building, the oldest nursing home building at Wesley Health Care Center. Wesley renovated the building's 5th floor as part of Phase 1, but they are now preparing for Phase 2, which will transform floors 2, 3, and 4 into a contemporary, efficient, comfortable, and home-like environment for their residents.
Set Your Goals and Make a Difference During Share a Step
The Wesley Community designed Share a Step as a week-long fitness and fundraising event that participants can enjoy virtually. The total amount of walking, running, or biking you do will count toward your fitness goal. You can run on a treadmill at home, take a bike ride around the local neighborhood, or even go for a hike on your favorite nature trail.
How to Get Started
To join, all you have to do is visit the Share a Step website, set a fundraising goal to share with your social circle, and decide on a fitness/mileage goal for the week. You can challenge yourself to accomplish an individual goal or team up with a group of your friends, family, and coworkers to reach a collective goal.
All participants who are registered by the first day of Share a Step will receive a swag bag with items to help them as they get their miles in. In addition, all participants who track their fitness and meet the minimum fundraising requirement will receive a "Finisher" prize and an athletic shirt. Daily prizes will be awarded to randomly selected participants who track their fitness or share their fundraising page on social media.
Registration is free, and there is no fundraising requirement to participate. Even if you can't raise anything, please take part as a way to connect with The Wesley Community and show your support.
Track Your Workouts & Walks
Bog Meadow Trail (Photo Credit: Saratoga PLAN)
Once you've set up your account and fundraising page, you can add your workouts and walks manually, or link a fitness app, such as Strava (workouts in your app must be marked as public).
Although workouts will only count toward your fitness goal from May 21 - 27, apps can be linked in advance. Wesley has also created four tiered challenges to create a sense of togetherness and healthy competition. Challenges are optional and focus on virtually traveling the distance of popular trails, including:
- Challenge Tier 1 (Mt. Marcy Challenge): Tackle New York's highest peak, Mt. Marcy, by traveling a total distance of 14.8 miles during Share a Step. If you're feeling ambitious, complete 5,343 ft. of elevation gain too (the summit of Mt. Marcy).
- Challenge Tier 2 (Saratoga Greenbelt Trail Challenge): This challenge is inspired by the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail, a visionary 24-mile shared-use path that will loop around Saratoga Springs. Although development is still underway, you can check out existing trail segments, such as the Spring Run Trail, the Bog Meadow Trail, and trails in Saratoga Spa State Park.
- Challenge Tier 3 (The Lake George 12ster Challenge): String together a virtual trip up the 12 peaks that comprise The Lake George 12ster Challenge. Complete a total of 40 miles, or approx. 5.7 miles per day, throughout the week. You can also hike all 12 peaks and get your hiking challenge patch this spring!
- Challenge Tier 4 (The 100 Mile Challenge): For a serious week of fitness, see if you can finish The 100 Mile Challenge. From May 21 - 27, log a total of 100 miles, which is equivalent to the distance around Lake George.
To share your progress and encourage others, remember to take photos of your workouts and tag The Wesley Community on Facebook or Instagram with #shareastep
Donate to a Fundraiser
Want to support the cause? Donors can make a payment on individual fundraising pages on the Share a Step website. Participants can also accept offline donations and either distribute those funds to the Wesley Foundation office or make a one-time gift to their own fundraising page.
Every dollar counts as The Wesley Community prepares for the second phase of renovations of their Springs Building. Donate to a fundraiser or become a sponsor today.
Take a Step Toward Helping the Saratoga Community
Whether you walk one mile a day, run a virtual 5K, or bike around the neighborhood, your support of Share a Step will both help improve your personal fitness and benefit members of the Saratoga community at Wesley.