LEAP Coalition Pulls off Successful Community Walk

Hundreds of people around Franklin County participated in the 2025 Healthiest State Annual Walk Wednesday morning.

The efforts were coordinated by members of the LEAP Coalition, as a way to get the community up and moving.

Starting at 10 a.m., participants from H-D-CAL High School, H-D-CAL Middle School, North Side, South Side, CAL Elementary, Franklin County Public Health & Home Care Services and Franklin General Hospital began walking. The students in Hampton walked (while some ran!) to Band Shell Park. The CAL Elementary students made their way down their community pathway. And those with Franklin County Public Health & Home Care Services and Franklin General Hospital took a stroll around their facilities.

Once at Band Shell, area students watched the high school cheerleaders perform and heard from Hampton Mayor Steve Birdsall, who pledged to walk 30 minutes a day. Birdsall spoke about the importance of being active on a daily basis and encouraged the students and school staff to join him in walking more.