Metro Detroit Faith in Wellness Blues Community Challenge Participants Celebrate Their Accomplishments
by Adriane Davis
| 3 min read
Second Baptist Church of Detroit was full of excited Faith in Wellness Blue Community Challenge participants Wednesday evening, celebrating their hard work in the 12-week health and fitness program supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and Beaumont Hospital. The 2014 Faith in Wellness Blues Community Challenge was well received by 38 participating churches in the Metro Detroit area as this program seeks to raise awareness of serious health issues that can be prevented through maintaining a healthier and more active lifestyle. This program touched many people and brought local congregations even closer together. Dr. Alexandria Marshall, who participated with True Rock Church, talked about how this experience encouraged camaraderie among her fellow church members. “The Faith in Wellness Blues Community Challenge really brought us closer together”, said Marshall. We were all on one accord and had the same goal in mind. We got to see each other push ourselves and we were all there to encourage each other to keep going. One of our members really stood out and put in a lot of hard work. Our whole congregation was rooting for us and were really excited to see us weigh in, that allowed them to be able to participate too”. Marshall added that now that the program is over, True Rock will still continue their path to healthier lifestyles by hosting an aerobics class every Saturday at a local high school. Veronica Petty, who participated with Historic Motor City Baptist Church, said that participating in this challenge motivated her church to get serious about their health. “Participating in the challenge got everyone excited about becoming healthier”, Petty said. “We started having indoor dance classes and Zumba classes in the kitchen because our gym is remodeled. We had to be creative and didn’t let any road blocks get in our way.” Motor City Baptist Church was nominated for the Best and Brightest in the Faith in Wellness Blues Community Challenge. “That nomination just confirmed that we were doing what we were supposed to be doing and that our hard work was not going unnoticed,” Petty said when asked how she felt about the nomination. “This challenge really struck fire for me and helped me develop a passion for health and wellness because I watched my pastor lose 30 pounds and that really inspired me.” The Faith in Wellness Blues Community Challenge is an incentive-based wellness program that reinforces Blue Cross’ commitment to reducing health disparities in diverse communities. Faith in Wellness focuses on African American faith-based communities, because African Americans are at high risk for chronic illnesses including diabetes, heart disease and cancer that can often be prevented with healthy behaviors. Photo credit: Adriane Davis
