Get Active, Be Safe!

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Get Active, Be Safe! A community-wide initiative.

The Quincy Bike Club, Heartland Road Runners and Walkers Club, Friends of the Trails, and United Way of Adam’s County, along with presenting sponsors Madison Davis Bicycles and Quincy HyVee are proud to announce the county wide initiative “Get Active, Be Safe!”

The goals of the Get Active, Be Safe! Initiative is to:

  • Engage the entire community in outdoor activities like cycling, running, walking and playing.
  • Encourage safe behaviors from both participants in the outdoor activities and from motorists in the community.
  • Educate cyclists about obeying traffic laws and educate drivers on the “3 Feet from Cyclists” rule, which is law in Illinois.
  • Educate runners and walkers about best practices for safety, and educate motorists to be on alert for people who share roadways.
  • Build healthy and active lifestyles by shining a light on nutrition and exercise.  Adams County is rated as the 6th most obese county in the state, and we hope to change this through this county wide education and activity program.
  • Advocate for improvements to recreational infrastructure throughout the county.

The Get Active, Be Safe! Initiative will kick off Thursday, April 17th at Madison Davis Bicycle shop at 8th and Jefferson in Quincy from 5:30 to 7 pm.  The public is invited to this very special Get Active, Be Safe! Open House Event.  At 6 pm, Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore will issue a proclamation to declare the month of May 2014 to be Get Active, Be Safe! Month in Quincy.  After this, President of the Quincy Bicycle Club Laura Sievert and Co-Presidents of the Heartland Road Runners and Walkers Club Doug Seeber and Ali Crist will each give short presentations about the clubs and let the public know the benefits of becoming members of these clubs.  HyVee will also be a guest at this meeting and will be providing snacks from their health food department.

Get Active, Be Safe! Month will feature many activities throughout the month of May and into June.  Some of these include:

Child’s Bicycle Give Away:  Friends of the Trails will give away a kid’s bike and helmet.  Register to win at Quincy HyVee on Broadway.  Fill out a registration form at our display April 17th through May 15th.

May 7th: National Bike to School Day hosted by the Adams County Safe Kids Coalition

May 10th: Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Run, Walk and Ride at South Park.  More information on this event is available at Quincy HyVee Stores and on HyVee.com

May 16th: Bridge the Gap Expo:  Health and Safety information along with club membership applications will be available at the Bridge the Gap to Health Race Expo at 3pm to 7pm at the Quincy Kroc Center.  The Quincy Bike Club will also give away 50 free bike helmets for kids courtesy of the Adams County Safe Kids Coalition.  The child MUST be present to receive a helmet and sizes are only available while supplies last.

May 17th: Bridge the Gap to Health Race

May 21st at 6 pm:  Ride, Walk and Run of Silence at Madison Park.  This event is FREE and open to runners, walkers and cyclists.  The event is part of a national event in which runners, walkers and riders gather to pay tribute to people who have been injured or killed on the roadways.   We ask that participants arrive at the park around 5:30 pm.  We will have a safety briefing at this time.  All cyclists must wear helmets.  We also ask that participants try to wear white shirts to the event.  This is symbolic of the “Ghost Rider/Walker/Runner” and is in memory of those killed on the roads.   This event will be escorted by Quincy Police Department cyclists and the route will be secured by the Auxiliary Police.  The Friends of the Trails will also announce a winner for the free bike and helmet give away at this event.

June 6th : Kids Fit Expo at the Quincy Family YMCA.  This event features activities, speakers and advice on getting active and having good nutrition that is tailored especially for kids.

June 7th: HyVee Road Race for Kids.  1 Mile and 5K options.  More information at either Quincy HyVee and online at Hyvee.com

In addition to the planned events, members of the participating organizations in the Get Active, Be Safe! Initiative will make numerous media appearances.  We would like to thank KHQA Television, The Quincy Herald Whig, Y101 Radio, WGEM AM Radio and Quincy HyVee for their assistance with the publicity for this spring kick off to a safe and healthy season.  We would also like to thank the Quincy Police Department and Mayor Moore for their support.

Please visit the following websites:

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