More than 100 of the state’s mayors, city council members and city officials donned their sneakers early Monday morning, June 23, at the Active Georgia Walk to highlight the importance of physical activity among Georgians.

The event was sponsored by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) along with University of Georgia Extension’s Walk Georgia, The Coca-Cola Company, Grady Healthcare and Local Government Risk Management Services, Inc., and was part of the annual GMA conference, held last weekend in Savannah.

“Georgia’s city administrators are a key partner in promoting health and wellness statewide,” said Dr. Deborah Murray, associate dean for Extension and Outreach. “Their participation in the Georgia Municipal Association’s Active Georgia Walk shows their deep commitment to combating obesity in the state. Through implementation of Walk Georgia in their communities, as both a worksite wellness program and a community-wide initiative, it’s our hope that we can work together to make Georgians more physically active.”

The three-mile Active Georgia Walk started on River Street and led city administrators in a loop along Bay and River streets. Area 4-H volunteers with Walk Georgia, along with volunteers from sponsoring agencies and organizations, also took part in the event by registering event participants and guiding them along the course.

Walk Georgia, run jointly by UGA Extension and the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is a free, Web-based program that allows Georgians to track their physical activity. Because local Extension agents in Georgia’s counties administer Walk Georgia, the program reaches state residents at the most local level.

Through a $1 million, three-year gift from The Coca-Cola Foundation, Walk Georgia aims to reach 100,000 Georgians and to decrease the number of physically inactive people in all of Georgia’s counties by 5 percent over the next few years.

Walk Georgia will debut an updated version of its website this fall, complete with customizable profiles, goal-setting capabilities, personalized calendars and the ability to join groups. The website should open at www.WalkGeorgia.org beginning this September. If you’re interested in being part of this summer’s pilot phase of Walk Georgia, visit pilot.WalkGeorgia.org beginning July 1.

For more information on Walk Georgia, visit www.WalkGeorgia.org or visit the program’s blog at blog.extension.uga.edu/walkgeorgia/. For more information on the UGA Obesity Initiative, see obesity.ovpr.uga.edu.