The city’s 16-week We’re Out Walking program kicked off Saturday at Evanston Township High School. The annual health and fitness initiative seeks to promote physical activity in Evanston.
Participants had the option to join walking groups and connect with various fitness classes and wellness events throughout the city.
Ninth Ward residents Lucretia and Desiree Bond said they have participated in WOW since it first started.
Over the years, they said they have seen it shift from a women’s only program to one open to all ages and gender identities. The program’s focus on furthering community health has remained consistent, they said.
Lucretia Bond said the program prompted her to think critically about her health, especially as someone with high blood pressure.
The accountability of group fitness activities was a draw for 5th Ward resident Leslie Robinson.
“As you get older and get some aches and pains, you’ll realize that there are people out there that can help you along the way,” Robinson said.
For this year’s event, WOW secured 23 community partners and sponsors, many of whom tabled a booth at Saturday’s event or plan to offer wellness services or classes to participants.
Tiffini Holmes, owner and founder of The Aux Wellness Collective, said she hopes her business, which hosts many of the group fitness classes advertised by WOW, will “keep and get the community well.”
As a Black business owner, Holmes said she also strives to make fitness accessible and welcoming to all community members.
“When I started my wellness journey, all of the group fitness classes I had were pretty much led by white men or white women, and there wasn’t a lot of representation of bodies like mine, in terms of size, as well as in culture,” Holmes said. “It’s important for us to just have a space where everybody can come and experience a different flavor, but also feel welcome.”
For residents, WOW’s mission doesn’t end when the 16th week of programming comes to a close. Evanston Community Health Specialist Kayla Smith said she heard that one of the program’s walking groups had continued throughout the entire year.
“’It’s a sense of community, besides just health and wellness,” Smith said. “You get to see people, you get to do the demos with each other, you get to go on the walk. It’s really well received within the community.”
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