WARREN — For little legs, reaching a 100-mile physical activity goal can feel like a daunting challenge.

But thanks to a new 100 Mile Club program piloted at Warren Community School by the Knox County Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) team, part of the MaineHealth Center for Health Improvement, Community Health department at Pen Bay Hospital, Health teacher Casey Cale-Widdecombe is helping elementary-age students make strides to reduce childhood obesity and inactivity while racking up the miles throughout the school year.

According to data from the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey from 2021, 42% of middle school students in Knox County completed the 60 minutes of daily exercise recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many students get a portion of their daily physical activity by biking or walking to school but in some rural Maine towns that is not a safe option.

“We’ve been practicing goal setting in the classroom for the past three years as part of the healthy curriculum,” said Cale-Widdecombe. “We aim to have every student involved walk or run 100 miles by the end of the school year through health class, PE, recess and other opportunities within homeroom. It’s been wonderful to see the students set goals and work toward them.”

Since the start of the program last October, Cale-Widdecombe has registered 230 of 285 students at WCS for the 100 Mile Club. Participants earn prizes for every 25, 50, 75 and 100-mile goal they meet by the end of the school year, thanks to funding from the New Balance Foundation.

“Programs like these are not possible without a site champion like Casey who is willing to take on the additional work of implementing the program on top of their day-to-day routine,” said Abbey Lacasse, program management specialist for MaineHealth Center for Health 2 Improvement, Community Health department at Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals. ”Casey has worked tirelessly to create systems for tracking and monitoring student movement and ensuring all students have equitable opportunities to earn their miles."

Said Cale-Widdecombe: “We have had a few students who have not been active previously and this program has inspired them to move more and connected them with other students who share their enthusiasm.”

To learn more about the 100 Mile Club initiative, visit 100mileclub.com.

To learn more about the New Balance Foundation, visit 100mileclub.com/new-balance-foundation/.

MaineHealth is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. MaineHealth includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth hospitals include MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast. MaineHealth also includes the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, MaineHealth Behavioral Health in Westbrook, MaineHealth Home Health and Hospice in Saco, the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, the MaineHealth Medical Group and MaineHealth NorDx in Scarborough. MaineHealth affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.