- The Second Mile - The Third Mile - The Yoga Mile

Hugh Riley, Jan Bin Reuter, aide LuEtta Morris and Robert Banks take a rest during the walk.

Anna Ortiz (l), and Evelyn Gunn (r) were steady performers during the first outing of The Maplewood Movers. Here they assist Rock Steady during the middle stages of the walk.

The Maplewood Movers got off to a fast start on September 26. Six residents at the Maplewood Manor in Germantown went out for a walk with a group of Wissahickon Wanderers. The walkers put in a half-mile on the pavement in their first workout in the eight-week program. Walking for Maplewood Manor retirement community were Robert Banks, Anna Ortiz, Evelyn Gunn, Hugh Riley, Delores and Oscar Boyd. Joining them from the Wanderers were Darragh Muldoon, Jan de Ruiter and Dan Gordon.

Every Thursday, the residents of Maplewood Manor are going to stretch and then go out for a walk with the Wanderers. Each workout will be one hour. The program is being organized with the help and supervision of Maplewood rehabilitation director Tricia Farkas.

The walks will be primarily at the neighboring properties of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and Germantown Friends School. But two sessions are being planned for the Morris Arboretum.

The walkers are hoping to log eight miles in all in the eight week program. Volunteers are still needed for one hour each week to accompany the walkers. For more information, contact Darragh Muldoon or Dan Gordon.

Oscar Boyd was simply fantastic. Here he heads for home with Darragh Muldoon right behind.	Robert Banks is one of the long distance walkers for the Maplewood Movers.

Clinic for the Blind Set for October 27th

The guiding program for the blind will begin with a clinic on Sunday, October 27, at the Chestnut Hill Academy track. Blind and visually impaired persons are being invited to attend the clinic which will be run by Walter Ducret, a Wanderers member and a teacher at the Overbrook School for the Blind. Helping to organize and conduct the program are medical interns at Hahneman Hospital.

At the clinic, instruction will be provided in running, jumping and weight events. After the clinic, visually impaired persons will be paired with volunteers as guides for ongoing weekly training sessions. Volunteers are needed to act as guides.

By providing training, it is hoped that the visually impaired athletes will ultimately compete in local running races. However, the program is also geared at encouraged walking as a form of exercise for those who do not wish to run or to compete.

"Because both of these programs require a significant amount of personal supervision, we need volunteers," said Dan Gordon. "However, the scheduling can be extremely flexible. It could be for as little as one hour a month to two hours a week."

Walter Ducret established a running club for the visually impaired in his native Argentina. "We started with just two runners to begin with, and built up to 70 runners," he said.

The Wanderers are forming a Philadelphia chapter of the Achilles Track Club to carry out these two community service. The Achilles Club was formed about 20 years ago in New York and is the foremost organization promoting exercise for persons with disabilities.

Additional reports and news stories

It's daylight savings, and the weekly TRACK WORKOUTS are returning to Chestnut Hill Academy's track. The workouts start at 6:30 pm every Tuesday. The switchover to CHA from the Roxborough track begins Tuesday, March 18. The address is 500 West Willow Grove Avenue in Chestnut Hill.