Nearly 50 years after Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the lunar surface in July of 1969, employees of the School District of Manatee County will “Walk to the Moon”. The challenge is the creation of the District’s Wellness Program Coordinator, Ro Mohamed. “I thought to myself, ‘what’s a goal that could be so out of this world’?” said Mohamed, “It’s really important that we are ONE team, with ONE goal.”
The “Walk to the Moon” campaign launch is taking place on Tuesday, September 5th – and employees are encouraged to participate through December 15th, 2017. The goal is to walk 238,000 miles, the average of the closest and farthest points between the earth and the moon. A moon mileage calculator will keep track of employees’ progress.
The ‘Top 400’ walkers will be recognized at a Moon Landing Celebration — an exciting event which will celebrate each small step that led to a giant leap for the School District of Manatee County.
Even though each District site will be competing to win the grand prize, Ro Mohamed says that every step counts. “This isn’t just about wellness, it’s about connecting as a team,” she said, “I want people to feel good.” Being healthy is about living, learning, working, and playing in a safe community, according to Mohamed. She hopes that the walk will inspire school district employees to meet someone new — and want to walk to the moon — and back again.
#WeManatee stands for We are the School District of Manatee County. No matter what challenges we face, we strengthen each other when we stand together.