Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Sound Mind-Sound Body Community Walk is Sept. 11


NEW HAVEN — The Connecticut Mental Health Center Foundation will launch its first annual Sound Mind-Sound Body Community Walk Sept. 11, at Long Wharf Park.
Special guest, author Mary Collins, will speak and sign copies of her book "American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture," organizers said in a statement.
Collins is an award-winning author and professor of creative writing at Central Connecticut State University. Her book "American Idle" offers advice about integrating physical movement into the natural flow of everyday lives, the statement said.
SMSB organizers hope to attract more than 200 walkers to raise more than $20,000 for the CMHC Foundation and to highlight the important connections between good mental and physical health and wellness, the statement said. Yale-New Haven Hospital is lead sponsor for the event.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at Leon’s Restaurant and ends with an awards celebration and brunch from 10:30 a.m.-noon, also at Leon’s, the statement said.
According to the CMHC Foundation, one in five Americans lives every day with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and chronic depression. Many live in poverty and are homeless or poorly housed and some also struggle with addictions, the statement said.
"In the last few years we have been alarmed to discover that people with serious mental illness also have a life expectancy 25 years shorter than the general population due to the stressors of poverty and the inadequate treatment of physical health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity," Kyle Pedersen, CMHC Foundation director said in the statement. "We hope the Sound Mind-Sound Body Community Walk will help everyone focus on and celebrate good health and wellness."
For registration, team and pledge forms and additional information or to sponsor the event, contact Sharon DeGenaro at 203-974-7082 or sharon.degenaro@yale.edu or visit the website at www.cmhcfoundation.org.
Minimum entry fee of $25 per person entitles the walker to a free SMSB T-shirt. Individuals and teams that raise at least $50 per person will receive T-shirts, special prizes and complimentary brunch at Leon’s.
The CMHC Foundation encourages organizations, community groups, schools and faith communities to sponsor teams and is offering a special fundraising incentive. All teams that raise at least $1,000 can designate 25 percent of their total earnings to a community organization that promotes good health and wellness for people in recovery. The CMHC Foundation is grateful for the support of lead sponsor Yale-New Haven Hospital and its many other sponsors.

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