Daysha Humphrey
Senior Writer
MUW’s faculty, staff and students were encouraged to walk to lunch in downtown Columbus on Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The “W Walks to Lunch” event was sponsored by the Passport to Wellness program that is sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Mississippi.
April Barlow, coordinator of professional learning, explained the event.
“This program is a community-wide initiative targeting lifestyle choices related to diet, physical activity and stress management,” Barlow said.
The event encouraged all faculty, staff and students to form groups to go walk to lunch in downtown Columbus.
She said this event helped encourage those at the W to take some time to be active.
“This event benefits the W by encouraging our campus to work towards an environment of wellness. We are hoping to show our campus that just adding physical activity throughout your day can decrease chances of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease and increase bone strength and fat loss.”
More than 100 people registered and participated in this event, including Jessica McDill, a student success navigator.
“I enjoyed the Walk to Lunch,” McDill said. “It was nice to get out of the office for a little while, get some exercise, spend time with coworkers outside of the office and support local restaurants and businesses.”
She said she enjoyed the event.
“It benefited me because I was able to spend time with coworkers in a non-working setting and get much-needed exercise during the day,” she said. “I ate at Huck’s Place, and it was definitely enjoyable and fun.”
Various restaurants offered discounts to individuals who participated in the event, but they weren’t the only places that were giving out great discounts.
Different stores were also giving out great discount prices to whoever showed their MUW ID. A list of the stores and restaurants are located below.
- Café on Main – 20 percent
- Coffee House on 5th – 10 percent
- Harvey’s - $5 gift card
- Huck’s – 15 percent
- Zachary’s – 15 percent
- Beard’s Antiquities – 20 percent off entire store
- Bella Interiors – 20 percent off any regular priced items
- Columbus Arts Council - $3 off coupons for any Omnova Show at Rosenzweig
- Fashion Barn – 30 percent off excluding formals and jeans
- Grassroots Candle Company – 10 percent off purchase
- Hollyhocks – Free gift with purchase
- The Purple Elephant – 20 percent off selected items
- Park Place – 25 percent off the entire store
If you would like to check out more about the Passport to Wellness Program and the W Walks to Lunch, please visit the website www.muw.edu/passporttowellness.