'Give & Get Fit' Returns to Somerset Collection This Weekend

The Rhonda Walker Foundation (RWF), founded in 2003 by WDIV TV Local 4 News Anchor Rhonda Walker, will host its 2nd Annual Give & Get Fit Health and Fitness Fair this Sunday, July 29.

This year’s Give & Get Fit, which is sponsored by and , includes a chip-timed 5K and 10K run/walk endorsed by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports, yoga and pilates sessions, a fashion show, and a health fair.

The 5K and 10K races start at 8 a.m. in the rear parking lot of the Bank of America headquarters (2600 W. Big Beaver). Channel 95.5’s Mojo will serve as Grand Marshal for the races and will get everyone motivated for a great run.

The yoga and pilates sessions, fashion show, and health fair will take place next door at The Somerset Collection from 9-11:30 a.m. Dozens of exhibitors from local health care institutions and health and fitness themed stores and businesses, including restaurants, grocers, and specialty food stores will provide free products, health screenings and the latest information and techniques to promote better health and active lifestyles.

“Give & Get Fit is an event that combines two major themes of the RWF: fitness and giving back,” RWF Founder and President Rhonda Walker said. “Last year, we came up with the idea to host an event that will inspire the entire metro Detroit community to live healthier and get active. This is a message we teach the RWF Teens, and we want to be a strong voice sharing that message around town. We had a wonderful event last year and are looking forward to an even better one this year.”

“Bank of America is proud to host the Give and Get Fit run-walk,” said Tiffany Douglas, senior vice president and market manager for Bank of America. “Rhonda and the RWF team do an outstanding job improving the lives of young women in Detroit and increasing their positive outcomes, and ultimately building safer and stronger neighborhoods. Bank of America is committed to providing meaningful support with all of our resources to organizations that respond thoughtfully to community needs. We look forward to a morning of good exercise, fun, and fundraising.”

In addition to Bank of America and The Somerset Collection, other sponsors of Give & Get Fit include Charity Motors and St. John Health System. For a full list of sponsors, or to become a sponsor, please visit rhondawalkerfoundation.org.

Advance registration for the race and the yoga and pilates sessions is strongly recommended. Individual tax-deductible donations to attend Give and Get Fit are $25.00. Sponsorship opportunities, exhibit space and yoga/Pilates slots are still available. For more information and to register for the race and health fair – or to participate as an exhibitor – visit  rhondawalkerfoundation.org, active.com, or contact the RWF by phone at 800-652-2989. All proceeds from Give and Get Fit support the RWF’s Girls into Women program.

About the Rhonda Walker Foundation

For almost a decade, the RWF, through its Girls Into Women program, has been helping teenage girls in Detroit develop and hone important career and personal development skills. This is central to the RWF’s mission of empowering inner city teen girls towards becoming strong, confident, successful and moral future leaders.

The career and personal development programs include mentoring, a self-esteem building summer camp, cross country college tours, extensive etiquette, public speaking, goal setting and confidence training, community outreach projects with homeless women and children, health and wellness workshops, workouts, and more.

The Girls Into Women program, which accepts Detroit girls as they are entering the 8th grade and concludes with high school graduation, focuses on instilling the expectation that college is a must in each RWF Teen, among other positive goals. For more information about the RWF, visit our website at rhondawalkerfoundation.org

This information was submitted by Katie Cantwell.