Familes Enjoy Family-Friendly Walk

It is hard to believe that, although Rockland County boasts extensive, hiking trails, wide lakes, and beautiful scenery, many people are unaware of the beautiful parks and recreational areas that exist just a few minutes away. On Saturday, The Rockland County Health Department held its annual, Family-Friendly Walk, a free event, which invites families from across the county on an educational, informative, and interactive nature walk.

The walk, which has taken place since 2007, is held at Demarest Kill Park where the relaxing and easy trail is close to a half a mile long.  In recent years, the event has been planned during World Breast Feeding Week in order to couple health information for children with breastfeeding support for mothers.

“It’s incorporating families, exercise, obesity prevention, being healthy, healthy lifestyles, and in addition we are celebrating World Breast Feeding Week,” says Laurie Messinger who coordinates the Department of Health's Breastfeeding Promotion and Support Program.

Laura Rime, a La Leche League of Clarkstown leader, adds, “When you’re breastfeeding you have to be focused on your child.”

Rime explains that there is a lack of breast-feeding support programs and that there is a lot more breast-feeding going on than people may realize.

“I think breastfeeding is this silent thing that people are doing at home,” she says. “They don’t feel comfortable talking about it and I think that the more awareness the better. It’s a really positive thing.”

Some of the benefits related to breast-feeding include prevention of childhood obesity and diabetes as well as strong bonds between the mother and child.

“It’s all about promoting health,” says Messinger. “I think it’s just a great collaboration and it’s a way to get the word out.”

The morning began at 9:30 and families gathered at the front of the park ready to learn about health in Rockland. A table piled high with brochures and pamphlets promoting health was set up at the entrance to the park. In addition, clowns from RSVP Clowns, entertained children with balloons and other tricks. It was a perfect mix; both parents and children were able to learn a wealth of health information before even taking the hike.

When most everyone was there, Sue Humbach, the trip leader, spoke to the 30 or so parents and children about some important things to know before entering the trail.  Among these were how to avoid poison ivy, steer clear of ticks, and a bit of park history. 

Humbach has been the leader of the pack each year for the Family-Friendly Walk as part of the Rockland County Trail Guide Docent Program.  It is a program in which volunteers are trained and versed on the county parks so that they can lead guided, safe, and informational tours to the community.

“What’s nice about this is it introduces people to this park and to the docent program in general,” says Humbach. “A lot of people who live in Rockland have no idea about the parks and this one is nice because you can take little kids here and even elderly people.”

In addition to the walk itself, the child-geared event included a scavenger hunt where children were encouraged to be perceptive of their surroundings by finding various items along the trail. When they finished the scavenger hunt, they were then able to enjoy coloring books, drinks and snacks, and even vegetable tattoos at the picnic tables by the lake.

The event is one in which many organizations can came together to share their knowledge of health with others in the community.  Each year The Health Department partners with the Trail Guide Docent program mentioned above, Rockland County Americorps, Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources, Steps to a Healthier Rockland, the Breastfeeding Promotion and Support Program, and the Woman, Infants, and Children program.

In 2003, the health department was given a grant to form STEPS To A Healthier Rockland, a group where organizations from around the county collaborate to promote healthy lifestyles in Rockland. They are the organizations responsible for creating the Trail Guide Docent program as well as other programs that encourage people to get outside and enjoy events such as this one.

“We are constantly getting new grants,” says Melissa Jacobson, Assistant Director with the Division of Public Health Promotion and Education. “The focus is on prevention, building communities, and promoting physical activities.”

One such program Jacobson promoted during the walk, was the Rockland County Trail Trackers. Demarest Kill Park is just one of the 14 county parks that are part of the trail tracker program. The Trail Tracker initiative is a free program, which encourages people in the community to get out, exercise, and learn about the county’s parks. 

Those who want to join trail trackers can sign up online and are mailed a Trail Tracker Passbook. The idea of the passbook is similar to a passport; each time members visit one of the 14 parks, they log into the site, answer questions about the park, and receive a sticker for their book, indicating that they have visited the specific park and have completed the trail tracker search. Additionally, prizes such as first aid kits and backpacks are given at the five park, 10 park, and 14 park milestones.

 “We want to get people to know where they can go and to get exercise,” says Jacobson. “We are trying to encourage people to visit parks and to go for walks.  It’s a great family activity.”