Take it Off, Toledo! Program

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz today announced the featured participants for Take It Off, Toledo!, the city’s wellness and weight loss challenge, which will begin May 1.

“The first 29 days of the challenge are 100 percent focused on getting people to sign up and get ready for the year-long challenge,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said during a news conference at the West Toledo YMCA. “We will launch a new website, takeitofftoledo.com, Facebook, Instagram, and twitter accounts today for the challenge. The focus of this is wellness, happiness, and health.”

The challenge will run through April, 2020. There will be a different theme or topic each month throughout the year, including shopping, cooking, get moving, sleep, screen time, heart health, drinking water, family fitness, and more.

“We will be doing a variety of videos, stories, and articles on the topics each month with our community partners and featured participants,” the mayor said. “We will also host events and highlight the work of others in our community.”

The events include:

Free Family Fun Days at The University of Toledo Recreation Center and YMCA locations in Toledo that will feature health screenings, fitness assessments, swimming, games, and use the facilities. The confirmed dates are 10 a.m. - noon, May 4 at the West Toledo YMCA; 11 a.m.-1 p.m., June 15 at the Wayman D. Palmer Community YMCA; 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., June 19 at the Downtown YMCA, and June 22 at the UT Recreation Center. More will be scheduled later this year.
The YMCA will conduct a variety of indoor and outdoor group exercise classes at Toledo parks.
Challenge members will be encouraged to participate in the Metroparks Toledo Trail Challenge.
We will attempt to set a world record at 5 p.m., Aug. 4 for the largest simultaneous one-mile walk. The goal is to have as many people as possible start the walk from wherever they are and walk for a mile with friends, family, and neighbors. There will also be locations for people to walk in groups.
Cooking classes at the Toledo GROWs Robert J. Anderson Urban Agriculture Center, 900 Oneida St. and Market on the Green, 1806 Madison Ave.
The city will partner with the Toledo Lucas County Public Library on educational information about healthy eating, shopping, cooking, and other health-minded topics.

The featured participants are:

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz\
Toledo City Council President Matt Cherry
Tricia Cullop, University of Toledo women’s basketball head coach
Dennis Hopson
Dr. Romules Durant, TPS Superintendent
Toledo Councilman Peter Ujvagi
Meredith and Shaun Soleau
Kristian Brown, WTVG-TV, Channel 13
Mark Jacobs, Toledo City Paper publisher
Jeffrey Dempsey, president of Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center and Children’s Hospital
Randy Oostra, president and CEO of ProMedica
Andrew Kinsey, WTOL 11 anchor
Jay Hannah, WNWO NBC 24
Brigette Burnett, Buckeye Broadband
Monsignor Michael Billian
Rev. Donald Perryman
Toledo Fire Chief Brian Byrd
Toledo Police Chief George Kral
Erika White
Christina Rodriguez, executive director of Mom’s House Toledo

The Movement Team includes:

Daryl Wilson, Savvy Wellness
Lindsay Bowman, LB’s Circuit Training
Demond L. Pryor, MA, Director of Recreational Services, University of Toledo
Vicki Riddick, Director, Service Excellence & Wellness, University of Toledo
Loren Gasser, YMCA

The Medical Team includes:

Beth Deakins, director of healthy living, YMCA of Greater Toledo
Michele Lovett, Chief Clinical Dietician, University of Toledo
Robert Topp, associate dean of research, University of Toledo College of Nursing
David Lymanstall, graduate nursing advisor and instructor, University of Toledo
Eric J. Zgodzinski, Toledo-Lucas County Health Department Commissioner
Dr. Kent Bishop, chief experience officer, ProMedica, chief medical officer, ProMedica Physicians and Acute Care

Community Partners:

Toledo Lucas County Public Library
Toledo-Lucas County Health Department
ProMedica
Mercy Health
Metroparks Toledo
City of Toledo Parks
YMCA
University of Toledo
ToleGO Bike Share
TARTA