Arizona Fifth-Graders Take 3 Billion Steps toward Healthier Living.

More than 10,000 Students Participate in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona's 2007 Walk On! Challenge

PHOENIX -- More than 10,000 Arizona fifth-graders collectively walked 3 billion steps during the month of February, an amount equivalent to 1.5 million miles, or 60 trips around the Earth.

Student participation in this year's Walk On! Challenge program tripled that of last year's inaugural Challenge.

As part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona's Walk On! Challenge - a program designed to help combat childhood obesity by motivating Arizona youth to incorporate exercise into their daily routines - fifth-graders across the state were encouraged to walk 10,000 steps each day in February. Student participants tracked their progress with pedometers provided by the health insurance company.

Students from 269 Arizona elementary schools completed the Challenge, and 43 of the schools reported 100 percent participation from their fifth-graders. To celebrate their accomplishments, a group of fifth-graders who participated in the Walk On! Challenge gathered on the Senate Lawn at the State Capitol today.

"It's a great program that will get you healthy and fit and it will get you exercised," said Ray Mendiola, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Western Valley Elementary School in Phoenix who participated in the Challenge. "The pedometers help you see the difference in your walking. If you take the short cut somewhere and take the long way, you see how many more steps you can take and you'd want to take the long way instead."

"Arizona's educators and students really embraced the idea of walking their way to better health," said Richard Boals, President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. "Each and every individual who participated in the Challenge is a winner."

Franklin Northeast Elementary School of Mesa was awarded a grant in the amount of $2,500 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona in a random drawing conducted among the 43 schools that reported 100 percent participation. Principal Michael Heidenblut said the grant will be used to purchase fitness equipment for the school.

Pete Malo, physical education instructor at Franklin Northeast Elementary School, said that students were continually sharing their daily step numbers, which motivated others to get involved.

"My fifth-graders never stood still in gym class, even when I gave instructions," he said. "I had to get used to them bobbing up and down while they walked in place."

Malo's daughter also is a fifth-grade student at Franklin.

"She wore her pedometer right up to bedtime, not wanting to miss out on accruing any extra steps," he said.

Students who walked 10,000 steps every day during the month of February were eligible to win one of 20 iPod([R]) nanos. The winning students hailed from Bullhead City, Prescott, Cave Creek, Chandler, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Kingman, Mesa, Phoenix, Safford, Scottsdale, Tucson and Yuma.

About the Walk On! Challenge

Every February, BCBSAZ teams up with schools throughout the state to challenge Arizona fifth-graders to walk 10,000 steps each day. Student participants track their progress using pedometers provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. At the end of the month, students report their walking totals and receive a reward for participating in the program. Fifth-graders who successfully complete the challenge are eligible to win an iPod([R]) nano. The school with the highest percentage of successful participants receives a $2,500 grant to support a fitness-oriented field trip or activity. For more information, visit azblue.com/walkon.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest Arizona-based health insurance company. The not-for-profit company was founded in 1939 and provides health insurance products, services or networks to more than 1.1 million individuals. With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson, the company employs more than 1,500 Arizonans. For information about BCBSAZ and its community programs such as WalkingWorks, visit azblue.com.