Arthritis Foundation Forum / Let's Move Together / Arthritis Walk

Arthritis Walk 2010 Video

AF Dude — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:35 GMT

[size=3][font=Tahoma]Check out the latest Arthritis Walk video. Share it with friends and family.:)[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYajJ5V0f7E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYajJ5V0f7E[/url][/font][/size]

Which Arthritis Walk are you participating in?

Chris Stoeri — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:34:56 GMT

With over 300 Arthritis Walks every year Nationwide, we would like to know which walk you are participating in (either as a Participant, Volunteer, or Staff person).

Tell us your Team Name and your story about why you are participating. If this is your first Walk, which one will you attend?

My Story:

I am a volunteer that was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 17 after a skiing accident. As a result i have developed a life long passion for helping others affected by arthritis. I am the National Online Fundraising Chairperson for the Walk and I Co-Chair the Orange County, California Arthritis Walk. My Team is "Stoeri's Angels". The Team raised a great deal of money and awareness last year and we hope to better that mark this year. 2008 Marks my 7th Arthritis Walk!

Kids Area at the Walk

julie butscher — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:46:01 GMT

We have moved locations for our walk and just found out that we can't have a lot of the stuff for kids that we have in the past. What do you have in your kid's area? We can't have inflatables, bounce houses, or live animals. Thanks!

Dog Walk

kelli schandel — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:44:58 GMT

Hi - I would like to open up the floor to those who have had Dog Walks at their Arthritis Walks. What works and what doesn't? What are some fun things you've done to make this a fun event for your four-legged furry friends?

Some ideas I've used at our Walk that have worked out are:

1. Recruit local animal shelters to come and bring adoptable dogs. Let people 'adopt' them for the day and take them along the walk route and around the exhibitor area. I've had great success with this and have had at least 2 dogs adopted each year, on the spot!

2. Make your dog area in the exhibitor area mimic that of the human area. Order a dog 'hero' cake made by a local dog bakery (or Barkery!) for those dogs w/ arthritis. Download the Let's Move Together bandana artwork for the dogs and get them printed locally. I like to use blue bandanas for the dogs w/ arthritis (like the blue hero hats) and red for those that don't. Have a Hero Banner for the dogs to 'sign'. You can use washable paint for them to stamp their paw into and put on the Banner or just have their owner sign it.

3. Get a local vet or animal hospital to come out and answer questions, specifically about arthritis.

4. Last year we had a lady come out that did dog massages! She was a real hit! I've also had a mobile pet wash come out and give free dog washes the day of!

5. Remember to have plenty of water around the exhibitor area AND the route. We fill up kiddie swimming pools w/ water and have them at each stop and spread out in the exhibitor area.

Hope these are a few good ideas. What are some fun things you've done? Post them here!

Thanks!
Kelli

Arthritis Walk Team Fundraising Ideas

Chris Stoeri — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:09:07 GMT

Have a strategy that works well? Have a funddraiser that works well? We're always on the look out for new ideas and like to hear success stories.

Does OA count?

Susan Nieland — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:44:46 GMT

I read a lot on the forums here of the sufferings of people enduring RA -- some since childhood. To me it seems to overshadow the stories found on bad old fashioned arthritis or OA. Neither is a cake walk that's for sure. I'm aware of a lot of medications prescribed and taken for people living with RA. My issue is the suffering with the other kind of arthritis - OA. Aside from the usual nsaids or a bit of fish oil and the old glucosamine/chondroiton mix -- there are no meds to prevent joint damage. That to me is so sad. I wish that there were. But the damage continues to ravage bodies ... some at a younger age. Personally I had both hips replaced at age 48 and just recently 3 years later both knees replaced. And the disease progresses....ankles, hands etc....

I was thinking I might try to walk a one mile route in Atascadero CA ... with my cane. But got to thinking -- does anyone really care about OA anyway? As in when I approach people should I choose to do this...to ask for fundraising support --- would not I get some kind of crazy look -- like, "hey you are older than 50 and you have arthritis -- what's the big deal"

Any perspectives? I know the RA meds in part are to help stop joint damage that would lead to joint replacement........well at 51 I am bionic in 4 wt. bearing joints and others maybe waiting in the wings........and I'm feel I'm left high and dry - with little support or understanding.

Send an Email!

Chris Stoeri — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:42:18 GMT

The Walk is almost here!

It’s time to ramp up your fundraising and make that final push to fundraise as much as you can in the short period left before the Walk. Here is a simple way to do this:

Check your personal goal – if you are at or above your goal, raise it!
Check your team goal – make sure that individual goals add up to the team goal.
Use Kintera to send an email to all of your friends and family. Tell your story about why you chose to participate and ask for support. Don’t ask for a specific amount, rather let the donor decide.
If you have already sent emails out, send another retelling your story and make another ask to those who haven’t given yet.

The number one reason people give is they were asked – an email is an easy way to make an ask on a large scale with little effort.

Thanks for everyones hard work and support for the Walk.

question?

M.M. — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:17:45 GMT

I'd like to be involved somehow in the Walk but I don't walk ,I roll. Are wheelchair allowed too?:P

Successful Kick-Off stories

kelli schandel — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:17:07 GMT

Have you had a successful Kick-Off event for the Walk? What do you think made it so successful? What ideas do you have that can boost participation and enthusiasm?

Fun things to add to your Walk

kelli schandel — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:15:39 GMT

What are some fun components that you've added to your Walk? Whether it's a kids area, a dog area, a VIP area, etc. Share your ideas with us! We'd love to hear about them!

Knee Arthritis Typically Affects Folks 50+ Years

David Berg — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:38:04 GMT

by David Berg

Arthritis of the knee typically affects people over 50 years of age though it is not exclusive to this age group. This type of arthritis is more common in people who are overweight, and weight loss tends to reduce the symptoms associated with knee arthritis.

When you have arthritis pain and stiffness, finding the proper exercise can be somewhat difficult. Walking may be a good exercise choice for those with arthritis. It helps build strength, maintains joint flexibility, aids in bone health and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

It may not make sense at first, but when arthritis makes your joints ache all over, a workout of sorts may be in order. Researchers at the hospital for Special Surgery in New York City studied more than 100 people who had arthritis of the knees. Half were put on a walking program; the other half did not partake in regular exercise.

Interestingly, after eight weeks, the walkers reported decidedly less pain and less reliance on pain medication. Also, they were able to walk further without pain in the experiments pretest.

There is also water walking which is usually done in waist - to chest -deep water. You can walk forward, backward, or sideways. You can use varying speeds and long or short steps. Since warm water relaxes the muscles and eases joint stiffness for people with arthritis, the pool should be well heated.

For any kind of water exercise, the Arthritis Foundation recommends a water temperature of 83ºF to 88ºF, comfortably warm, but not hot.

So, you many not be able to find the cure for arthritis yet but certainly you can explore all possibilities to ease the pain and improve the quality of life.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Berg specializes in educating people with their choices in natural health.
Get a free copy 'Arthritis, Can You Stop The Pain?'
http://solutionsforarthritis.com/arthritisrobbingyou

Fun Run

julie butscher — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:50:29 GMT

Does anyone have Fun Run with their walk? If so, how do you do it? Do you start the walkers 5 or 10 minutes after runners? Anything we need to consider?

Register for the Walk today!

Chris Stoeri — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:19:20 GMT

The Arthritis Foundation has many programs and contributes greatly to much need research in the fight against arthritis. The Arthritis Walk helps with dollars and with creating awarness about our fight.

Once you've registered, it's important to share your story and upload a photo about why you are participating. You can do that on your personal fund raising page or your team fundraising page. Upload a photo too!

Share your Walk story here too!