Participants 50B

Information for parade participants

Happy Feet is participating in the India Day Parade. All members are welcome to join.

Pre-requistes to join Parade walk:

1. Wear Happy Feet T-Shirt with black pants/capris.
2. If family/friend of Happy Feet member or if you dont have your T-shirt yet, wear plain red T- Shirt of the same color as Happy Feet with NO text of any kind on it. Black pants/shorts/capris are required.
3. Be there on time during the line-up and BEFORE the walk starts and ensure you stick with the group.
4. Contact Namitha or Lakshmy as soon as you arrive.

What to Expect:

• Parade will start at 2:00 PM. Line up begins at 12:00 Noon.
• Parade walk will be around 1 mile only. Family is welcome to walk with members if pre-requiste is met.
• Family and friends are welcome to join the viewers if not meeting the pre-requistes to actually walk with the group.
• Flyers will be handed to new/potential members. Any help is handing out flyers is appreciated.
• Once parade is complete, there are multiple activities planned by the Parade organizer. Happy Feet does not have any requirement to stay beyond parade time.
• Parking may be a challenge due to large crowds expected. So please plan accordingly.

Where do I come:

Parade line up will begin at noon at the intersection of E. 4th Avenue and Center Street in Naperville.

Directions .

When you arrive, please look for check in signs or contact any volunteer who would be happy to assist you.

Parade will start sharp at 2:00 pm from the intersection of E. 4th Avenue and Center Street and will proceed south on Center Street to end at Naperville Central Park.

Events at Central Park will begin at 3:00 pm with speeches and recognitions from 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm followed by cultural programs till 5:30 pm. The park will be open to public from1:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Humans are social creatures, we learn to love , trust and depend on each other for emotional comfort right from the womb. Have you seen pictures of twins holding hands in the womb? Do you recall a tiny infant grasping your finger? When was the last time you saw a mom grab a child’s hand before crossing the street?   How about that senior couple at the park , sitting on a bench holding hands and looking at everything around them? All moments of pure joy!

We love holding hands! A simple gesture that gives deep comfort and a feeling of security.

Share with us your experiences of holding hands. Tell us your story. You will see some images that really inspired me to write about this in this article.

As I continue to push myself to walk against all odds, one of the biggest ones being the monster that Ushasri talks about, I feel tempted to preach a little. I promise this will not become the norm.

Well there is a story behind this too. A few weeks ago the boys wanted to go to Sky High extreme trampolines.  As usual the entire family made it to the place. After the boys started their jumping and dad got situated in “monitor the kids mode”,my walk bug started nagging me. “Go out and walk”.

The facility is in an area full of warehouses. Once I got over my discomfort of “not so ideal location” coupled with warnings of being safe by the husband, I headed outside. Immediately I was hit with a wave of self consciousness when I saw the large rolling shutters, super large parking lots, many many trucks and almost turned back. But then , convinced myself that I can do it. It’s OK if I am the only human walking around that area.

After a few minutes , the comfort of walking set in and I was able to appreciate the foliage around me. Fast forward to this cordoned off area bursting with beautiful Prairie flowers.

Now comes my preaching moment!

Amidst all the pressure, I saw these flowers peep out of the black fence. Not one branch, not two, but several here and there making their break to freedom!

“Don’t let anything hold you back, be it the time of day or that lazy monster or the pile of dishes in the sink. They will all be there when you get back from your walk. The only difference will be that you will have a smile on your face instead of whatever emotion you were dealing with earlier!”

What is Map My Walk?

It is a website and an app that helps track walks quite accurately. It allows us to create a group and connect with each other. It also allows us to motivate each other right after a walk. Also interesting routes become evident that others may want to use as well.

Do I have to use the app to be a part of this group?

Happy Feet Walkers club is not associated with the Mapmywalk.com  in any way other than the fact that it seems to be a good tool that works on most mobile devices fairly consistently. We encourage members to use the app for consistency across members but it is NOT a requirement to me a member of the club.

Does it use my data on phone?

Yes.

Do I need it for my collages?

Most of the collage challenges that we post need some clear evidence of distance walked. Mapmywalk is the best option although other similar tools can be used if needed. Regular daily collage submissions also benefit from the distance covered but not a requirement.

How is it that some people have the image of route in their collages? I dont see an option to do it.

Basically once the workout is complete, you can take a screenshot of the map on your phone. This is saved as an image and you can use it in your collage. There is NO option directly in mapmywalk.

What if I walked and forgot to turn on the app?

If you know the distance covered, you can log a workout manually. You can either select from one of your existing routes if you used a common one or just put the distance and time etc. manually.

What are these challenges? Should I join them all? What will I get?

These challenges are just additional motivation if you like them. They are not required for membership. There are no prizes for these challenges except self satisfaction for a job well done.

How do I find friends?

Once you find one member in the app, you will see the others as suggested friends. You can also simply join the Happy Feet Group and everything will come naturally.

What do I do if I have more questions about the app that is not answered here?

Paste your question as a comment below and we will answer it.

Create your own user feedback survey

Happy Feet Member Nita Awasthi has successfully completed 200 miles of targeted walking. This excludes all the walking one does as part of everyday life. Since the club was started in June 2015, Nita has been a constant walker and a motivator for the group. A good example of her team spirit is the fact that she timed her walks (as she approached 200 miles) in such a manner that she could be with the group when she hits her milestone. She also won the Collage challenge of the week with multiple beautiful collages submitted in a timely fashion everyday while adhering to all the rules of the challenge to a “T”. Continue reading Contest Winner shares her thoughts! →