Weyburn is asking residents to pledge to take action in the In Motion Community Pledge Challenge. The challenge is offering one Saskatchewan community the chance to win $10,000 for a community project that helps children move and be active.
Weyburn is asking residents to pledge to take action in the In Motion Community Pledge Challenge. The challenge is offering one Saskatchewan community the chance to win $10,000 for a community project that helps children move and be active.
Weyburn is one of the first communities to be registered for the province's new In Motion program, aimed at getting young people to be more active and healthy. Moose Jaw, Yorkton, and Strasbourg have also registered so far.
"Part of the criteria for winning is the number of pledges each community collects. We're asking all residents of Weyburn to make an online pledge to do just one thing to make physical activity the easy choice for kids," said Mayor Debra Button. "Every pledge from our community puts us one step closer to winning $10,000 to increase physical activity in Weyburn."
"We're asking schools and communities to each provide opportunities for our kids to be active for 30 minutes every day, and we're asking families to step up for 30 minutes too," said Cathie Kryzanowski, general manager of Saskatchewan In Motion.
Sask. In Motion notes that less than 15 per cent of Saskatchewan children get the minimum 60 minutes of physical activity they need every day.
Mayor Button commented that she is thrilled that Weyburn is taking part in the Community Pledge Challenge, and said, "Our community has always been a strong supporter of physical activity opportunities, especially for our kids and youth. I know we will work together to produce the best entry for our chance to win the $10,000 prize money."
A panel of judges will choose the top five finalist communities based on the strength and creativity of their entries and the number of pledges they collect by Dec. 30, 2011. The winning community will be chosen through an on-line public vote that will be held from Jan. 17 to Jan. 29, 2012.
"To make it to the final round, we'll need as many pledges as possible," said Mayor Button. "So Weyburn, what are we waiting for? Let's get as many pledges as we can."
In addition to the $10,000 community prize to implement a program or build something to help kids be more active, there is a $1,000 early bird registration prize. The early bird deadline is Oct. 30, and Weyburn is already eligible.
Another prize of $500, to be put towards an active vacation experience, will be awarded to one pledger. The lucky pledger will be chosen at random.
The community kickoff for the Community Pledge Challenge took place on Tuesday at City Hall. A key date coming up in the challenge includes a free public swim on Saturday, Nov. 19; and the pledge deadline of Dec. 30. Judging will be complete by Jan. 15, and the on-line voting will be complete by Jan. 30.
