Parks and schools around Washington County are taking part in the annual Iowa Healthiest State Initiative Walk tomorrow.

The 11th annual state walk serves as a way to connect community members and to remind Iowans that social connections not only impact your mental health but your physical health as well. The Winfield-Mt.Union kindergarten through 12th grade students are scheduled to walk from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the City of Winfield and they will be partially blocking off the corners of West Central and South Clark Street and West Pine Street to provide safety to staff and students. The students will also be learning empathy and “walking in someone else’s shoes.” Instructional Coach Patricia Jones says this is the school’s second year participating in this walk and she explains why they are continuing to take part in this event, “Walking is a physical, healthy thing and you can be physically fit but if you’re not mentally fit, you’re struggling. We’re trying to let them know it’s important to be physically fit, so we walk, but we also want them to know that you need to be a kind person and be mentally fit as well.”  

The school will try to practice social distancing during the walk by walking on the streets and sidewalks. Other walks in Washington County tomorrow include  Lake Darling State Park at 8 a.m., Crooked Creek Christian Camp at 10 a.m., Washington Middle School at 3 p.m., and Marr Park at 5:30 p.m.. For more information on the Healthiest State Initiative, visit here.