Get Healthy With Instep With Nurses, A Fun Fitness Program For Everyone
Silver Spring, MD - Walking - it's one of the most popular and widely recommended forms of exercise. Nurses - they are trusted, compassionate and qualified professionals. What do you get when you combine the two? InSTEP with NURSES, a fun walking fitness program being held now through May 12 in celebration of National Nurses Week (May 6-12, 2006).
Sponsored by the American Nurses Foundation (ANF), InSTEP with NURSES is a fundraising initiative designed to help nurses and others who participate keep fit through walking while supporting ANF's good work for nurses. The program was created to raise annual funds in support of ANF's education and research programs that promote public health and advance the nursing profession.
This year, ANF has challenged the staff and state affiliates of its parent organization, the American Nurses Association (ANA), to join the fundraising walk in celebration of nurses. The ANA/ANF staff challenge walks take place during lunch hours on Tuesdays through Thursdays in the neighborhood around ANA's headquarters in Silver Spring, MD; however, anyone can participate in the program, and participants are free to set up their own walking schedules and destinations.
"This event is a fun way get in shape for summer," said ANF Director Leo Schargorodski. "Plus, participants earn tax credit, since contributions are tax-deductible. Just think, if everyone involved walked five miles per week for four weeks at only $1 per mile - that's $20 per sponsor in support of nurses."
ANF staff members are available to assist InSTEP with NURSES participants with mileage calculations, fundraising efforts, promotional materials and publicity efforts. The program is open to anyone who wants to gain greater flexibility and physical fitness through walking. For more information about the 2006 InSTEP with NURSES initiative or advice on holding an InSTEP with NURSES walking program, visit ANF's Web site, www.ANFonline.org.
# # #
For over 50 years, the American Nurses Foundation (ANF) continues to be the national philanthropic organization that promotes the health of the public and advances the nursing profession. ANF as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, relies on support from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies that possess a strong interest in advancing nursing's future. Contributions to ANF are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.
The ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.