Healthy Tupelo Task Force Announces Health And Wellness Festival

TUPELO, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) — The Healthy Tupelo Task Force will sponsor the Boerner Be Wild Health and Wellness Festival on Saturday, April 9, at the Ballard Park Soccer Complex.
The Boerner Be Wild Fitness Challenge will consist of 12 obstacles including jumping rope, running tires, tire toss and a climbing wall. Other obstacles will remain a secret until the challenge, but participants are forewarned that they should plan on getting wet.

The event runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and entrants will be assigned a time slot when they preregister.

Events are planned for the entire family, including the Boern to Run Kid’s Fun Run for children in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Entry forms for the run are available from local schools or at HealthWorks!, 219 S. Industrial Road.

The entry fee is $5 if returned to school or HealthWorks! by 4 p.m. April 8 or $10 for onsite registration.
The festival is being held in memory of Hank Boerner, former director of the NMMC Wellness Center and Healthy Tupelo Task Force founding member, who passed away in December 2012.

During his tenure at NMMC, Boerner helped the community add a skate park, three disc golf courses, a 5K cross country trail, two fitness trails, and a fitness center at Tupelo High School.

Boerner’s dream of making Tupelo the healthiest city in Mississippi has inspired his coworkers to continue his work.
“Hank started this fitness program for the community, for kids, and also adults, to know more about fitness,” said Edwin Crenshaw, fitness supervisor at the Wellness Center and a former co-worker of Boerner’s.

“The festival will raise funds for kids to learn more about the importance of physical activity.”

Liz Dawson, director of NMMC’s Community Health Department who served alongside Boerner on the task force, says he worked tirelessly for the cause.

“His mission was fitness and he modeled that behavior. He was all about making fitness available to anybody, not just athletes,” Dawson said.

“This festival was born out of the need to keep focus on his work. He wanted to raise money in order to give PE teachers with good ideas the opportunity to really help kids.”

Even the logo of the fitness challenge pays homage to Boerner’s memory.

He was easy to recognize when seen driving around town with the top down on his orange Volkswagen Beetle convertible.

Applications are available at the NMMC Wellness Center and Tupelo Parks and Recreation.

Interested participants should preregister with the $25 fee by April 5 to guarantee their time slot and T-shirt.

Entry fee is $35 the day of the event.

All proceeds will fund grands to educate youth on the importance of physical activity.

For more information, call (662) 377-4139 or (662) 377-5437.

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