Events

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin will lead residents, city employees and local celebrities Sept. 7 as they literally take steps to fight the No. 1 killer of Columbia citizens – heart disease.

Mayor Benjamin will host the city’s first “Move with the Mayor Challenge,” a month-long series of walks to raise awareness about heart disease and ways to prevent it. The campaign, a partnership between the City of Columbia and the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention, encourages residents to walk with the Mayor for 30 minutes every Wednesday from Sept. 7 until World Heart Day, Sept. 29.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. In South Carolina, heart disease accounted for more than 49,000 hospitalizations in 2014 alone, leading to an estimated $3.1 billion in hospitalization costs.

Join Mayor Benjamin on the Wednesday walks downtown with professionals, city employees and local public figures. The walks start at City Hall, 1737 Main St., and end at the State House.

The walks will be held at 11 a.m. on each Wednesday of the month. During the last week, the walk will be held Sept. 29 to celebrate World Heart Day with a heart-healthy lunch to follow.

The goal is to keep Columbia residents walking each day from now on.