News — NEW YORK— New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the Department of Parks & Recreation and Move It Monday, a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, held a Monday Mile kickoff event this week in Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem to promote inclusive wellness and recreation. A Monday Mile is a commitment to walk, roll, or jog one mile every Monday either individually or with a group.
New York City has worked diligently to promote the benefits of exercise and wellness for everyone, including people with disabilities. Under the de Blasio Administration, MOPD and NYC Parks have made fitness accessible and affordable for people with disabilities by keeping a full schedule of adaptive programming, constructing and renovating accessible parks and wellness centers, and reducing the cost of an annual NYC Parks recreation center membership for people with disabilities to only $25.
“An active and healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, including people with disabilities,” said MOPD Commissioner Victor Calise. “In New York City, we work to ensure that the disability community has equal access to our facilities and that our programming is as inclusive as possible. MOPD is proud to partner with Move It Monday to bring the Monday Mile to New York City to provide yet another opportunity for inclusive fitness for all.”
"We’re happy to partner with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to launch the Monday Mile. It’s a great way to encourage people with and without disabilities to get out and be active,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver. “We work hard to improve our parks and ensure they are accessible to everyone. We’ve also reduced the cost of our recreation center membership for those with disabilities in an effort to promote opportunities for inclusive health and wellness.”
“Light physical activity isn’t the only way to improve our wellbeing,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. “Relationships can also make us healthier. The Monday Mile is a great way to stay active as well as create meaningful social connections. When New Yorkers come together our city becomes a healthier place to live.”
“We’re honored to partner with MOPD and NYC Parks to highlight how healthy activities can include everyone,” said Ron Hernandez, Managing Director, The Monday Campaigns/Move It Monday. “The Monday Mile is a simple way to start a healthy week, and is just one of the many free, evidence-based health concepts that The Monday Campaigns offers to help people start and sustain change over time. We're excited to be collaborating with leaders in New York City who are committed to making health a priority in people’s lives.
At the Monday Mile kickoff event, people with and without disabilities came together to walk and roll one mile around the park. There was also a resource fair with New York City-based organizations that provide resources for the disability community. Amongst these resources were materials from Move It Monday so participating organizations can continue holding their own weekly Monday Mile for their constituents. The Monday Mile kickoff serves as another unique opportunity to promote health and wellness for New Yorkers with disabilities.
“As Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction and a representative of East Harlem, I am thrilled to see MOPD, DPR, and Move It Monday collaborate on an inclusive wellness activity at Thomas Jefferson Park. I commend the Administration for working diligently to improve accessibility in their parks and recreation centers, which makes events like Monday Mile possible,” said Council Member Diana Ayala. “I am proud that my district can host this event to support the disability community and want to encourage everyone to continue the Monday Mile every week so that we can all live more healthy and active lives.”
“There’s no better place to engage in exercise, health and wellness activities than in one of NYC’s 1,900 parks,” said Council Member Peter Koo, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation. “Whether walking, rolling or simply spending time in the great outdoors, our Monday Mile event is a great opportunity for the public to take advantage of the city’s adaptive programming and learn about the different resources available to our disabled community.”
“Fast Feet NYC is committed to equality and inclusion in athletics, providing adaptive running programs for youth and adults with disabilities in NYC by partnering with schools and communities,” said Suzie Clinchy, Founder, Fast Feet NYC. “We are so excited to be a part of the Monday Mile kick-off event to bring together the community to run, walk, or roll a mile each Monday!”
“It is our honor to be invited to participate in this great event,” said Connie Lam, Director of NYU Langone’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities (IWD). “Here at IWD, our participants are encouraged to stay active even in small, incremental ways. The Monday Mile initiative is a great addition to promote physical activity and an excellent fit to the population we serve. We will certainly include the Monday Mile initiative to our wellness and stay fit program at IWD and maximize its full potential.”
“We are proud to join with Move It Monday, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation as we start the week with a ‘Monday Mile’ at Thomas Jefferson Park,” said Janet Weinstein, Director of Outreach at Lighthouse Guild. “Walk/roll with us and discover resources at the fair that follows the walk.”
“Achilles International is proud to be taking part in the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation's Monday Mile,” said Michael Anderson, Director NYC Chapter of Achilles International. “The mission of Achilles International is to empower people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream running events in order to promote personal achievement. As an organization that embraces persons with all types of disabilities and welcomes athletes of all skill levels, the Monday Mile is a wonderful initiative and a great opportunity to get people with and without disabilities to get out and walk, run and roll.
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Contact:
Jonathan Novick Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities [email protected] (929) 291-8670
Nara Sandberg Move It Monday/Monday Mile [email protected] (212) 991-1055
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