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Wednesday Walkers SCAL partners with the City of Sumter; Sumter County; Tuomey Healthcare System; South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control- Sumter County Health Department; Clemson Wednesday Walkers continues to be a popular, successful and expanding program since it began in 2006. Well over 100 walkers have participated in this popular community walking program each year. For many individuals, Wednesday Walkers is the impetus they need to get started on a healthier lifestyle by being more physically active. If your worksite has not yet participated in Wednesday Walkers and has its own suitable place for employees to walk or access to a nearby sidewalk, walking track or trail, then consider having your worksite form a Wednesday Walkers team to participate in the 2010 program, which will run March 10 through May 5. Contact Linda Pekuri at 803-774-3861 or lpekuri@sumtercountysc.org for more information. 2010 WEDNESDAY WALKERS PROGRAM IS MARCH 10 — MAY 5!
Bicycle-Friendly Sumter County Initiative Through our Bike-Walk Committee, SCAL is conducting an education
and awareness initiative to create a bicycle-friendly Sumter County that promotes
and advocates for safe and enjoyable bicycling for leisure, exercise and transportation.
The initiative contains several components:
National Bike Month Since 1956, May has been recognized as National Bike Month. The third week in May is designated Bike to Work Week, and the third Friday of May is Bike to Work Day. Sumter County Active Lifestyles celebrates National Bike Month in our local area each year with a variety of activities, like mayoral and county council proclamations, articles in The Item newspaper, Bike to Work Day ride with the mayor, bike-friendly route mapping assistance for bike commuters, and advice to organizations about proper selection and installation of bicycle racks.
SCAL is working closely with bicyclists, transportation agencies, bicycling advocacy groups and others to make Sumter County a bicycle-friendly community. If this is your goal also, we'd like to hear from you. Contact Linda Pekuri at (803) 774-3861 or lpekuri@sumtercountysc.org Cycling Clubs and Community Bike Rides
The Sumter Easy Riders and Sumter Chain Gang clubs welcome all who want to cycle—novice and experienced cyclists alike. Visit the Sumter Cycling, Hiking & Adventure Club website to learn more about the Sumter Easy Riders/Chain Gang bike rides and other outdoor adventures in and outside of Sumter County. SCAL's Bike Sumter County map identifies various bicycle routes of different lengths throughout the county to guide both the novice and more experienced road rider. In addition to identifying routes, the map provides basic bicycle maintenance information, safety tips and rules of the road for bicyclists and motorists. These maps are free and available to the public at the SCAL office at the Sumter County Recreation and Parks Department, 155 Haynsworth Street in Sumter. Adopt-A-Park If you are looking for ways to contribute to your community, then consider "adopting" a city park. SCAL and the City of Sumter Parks & Gardens Department sponsor an Adopt a Park Program for selected parks within the city as a way to get community members involved in providing attractive places people can go to for recreation, leisure exercise, and physical activity. Businesses, school groups, civic clubs, churches and faith groups, and other organizations are invited to join Adopt A Park to assist with basic maintenance and beautification of local parks and green spaces. Adoptive groups are required to conduct clean-ups at least four times a year and are encouraged to recruit neighborhood participation from residents near their particular park. SCAL will provide a small amount of money for clean-up supplies, and the Parks Department will place a sign in the park to acknowledge the adoptive group. If you would like to adopt a city park, contact Sumter County Active Lifestyles at (803) 774-3860 or cblumberg@sumtercountysc.org.
One of Sumter's popular places to walk has its own walking program. The Sumter Mall sponsors Heart and Soles in partnership with SCAL. This mall-walking program boasts over 100 members, most of them senior citizens.
Registration for the program is ongoing. Forms can be obtained from the podium next to the Sumter Police Department substation inside the main mall entrance or the mall office during regular business hours. For more information, please call the Sumter Mall at (803) 775-6387. National Trails Day Sumter County Active Lifestyles and the Sumter County Recreation and Parks Department celebrate National Trails Day (NTD), which is a national annual event to promote public awareness of and appreciation for America's trails and encourage cooperative efforts among different trail users. SCAL has promoted use of Sumter County's Cypress Trail, Poinsett State Park
trails, the High Hills of the Santee Passage of the South Carolina Palmetto
Trail, and other county parks and recreation areas. Our family-oriented events
have included walks, hikes, bicycle rides, and kayaking demonstrations.
Publicity, Outreach, and Education SCAL’s publicity and outreach efforts to inform and educate the community about the need for and availability of exercise and recreation opportunities throughout the county include newspaper feature stories, columns, articles, and advertisements; quarterly newsletters; occasional radio spots; and cable television infomercials. To date, our infomercials have highlighted city parks, our Adopt-a-Park Program, our walking and bicycle maps, the Step Up. Step Out! program, cycling/Sumter Easy Riders, crosswalk laws, our Wednesday Walkers program, the Cypress Trail and sharing the road. The infomercials are professionally produced and aired on Sumter cable channel 7.
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Cooperative Extension; South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon-Sumter County; The Item newspaper; Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority; Thompson Construction Group; Salterstown Community Center and the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center to sponsor Wednesday Walkers, a worksite-based community walking program. The purpose of Wednesday Walkers is to promote physical activity among organizations and businesses, increase awareness of places to walk in Sumter County and foster positive work relationships. 
The
Sumter Mall opens its doors to walkers at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday
and on Sundays at noon. Two times around the mall's interior equals one mile,
and this information is displayed on the Heart and Soles "shoes" placed
throughout the mall.
