Health Promotion's Big Apple Senior Strollers Walking Club Volunteer: Help Seniors Stay Active

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Walking is a simple activity with many benefits. It helps reduce the risk of heart disease, improves blood pressure and blood sugar levels, lowers the risk of obesity, and enhances mental well-being. When older adults walk regularly, they are making a tremendous investment in their longevity. Walking helps seniors stay mobile and able to perform the basic activities of daily living.

If you enjoy walking and would like to help seniors stay active, become a volunteer with a Big Apple Senior Strollers Walking Club. Volunteers are needed to organize and lead walking clubs at sites citywide. The program features three threshold levels of 100,000, 500,000 and 1,000,000+ steps. Club members track their number of steps using pedometers to achieve the club’s walking goal, as well as their own personal goals.

DFTA seeks dependable and punctual individuals who have faith in clients’ ability to make lifestyle changes. By volunteering, not only will you reap the health benefits of walking, but you will also improve the chances of seniors continuing to live independently.

Tasks:

• Organize and lead one or more walking clubs in a variety of senior centers and other facilities
• Set goal for walking club members to achieve target number of steps
• Provide encouragement to club members

Requirements:

• Demonstrate strong leadership and motivational skills
• Possess good communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to build rapport in a small group
• Ability to demonstrate an approach to exercise that is both enthusiastic and encouraging
• Ability to work with participants possessing various levels of fitness
• Dependability and punctuality
• Attend a DFTA Volunteer Information Session

Skills Preferred:

• Ability to speak languages other than English desired, but not required

Training:

• Volunteers will be provided with walking club guidelines at their assigned site

Time Commitment:

• Volunteers serve flexible days Monday-Friday, and flexible hours between 9:00am-Noon
• Sessions run approximately 30-60 minutes
• Being available to serve multiple times a week is highly desirable
• On average, volunteers serve 3-4 hours a month
• Minimum one year commitment strongly requested