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Do yourself some good — and have fun — while doing good for Erie. The 2013 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community Erie will take place Saturday, June 8, at Presque Isle State Park. This year’s Walk benefits 25 local health and human service organizations, including the Erie County Diabetes Association, YMCA of Greater Erie, Therapy Dogs United and the Mental Health Association of NW Pennsylvania, among others. Walk participants can choose which organization they want their donations to go to. For the complete list of participating organizations, or to register for the walk, go to www.HighmarkHealthyWalk.org.

On-site registration and check-in will begin at 7:45 a.m. on June 8, and the walk, which is 5K (3.1 miles), will start at 9 a.m. There’s also a 1-mile fun walk, which starts at 9:15 a.m. The walk will be held rain or shine. Strollers and wheelchairs are permitted.

After the walk, participants can enjoy food, beverages, music, activities and prize drawings. For every $50 a walker donates or raises in support of a participating organization, they will receive one raffle ticket. Prizes worth a total of more than $1,000 will be raffled off.

Walkers who donate or raise $25 or more will receive a Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community T-shirt (while supplies last).

Parking is available at Beach 1, but get there early because it fills up fast.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Family Services of NW PA and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield are hosting the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on Friday.

The dinner will recognize a successful “little-big” match. It will also honor major corporate sponsors, including Highmark, Erie Insurance, Scott Enterprises and National Fuel.

The event will also launch the “Refer-a-Big” campaign. Though there are 160 matches in Erie County, nearly 120 children remain on wait lists to enter the program.

The dinner will be held at the Masonic Temple, 32 W. EighthSt., at 6 p.m. The awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m.

The Highmark Caring Place is looking for adult volunteers to help families and individuals deal with loss.

The facility, located at 510 Cranberry Street, helps children and families cope with grief through peer support groups and one-on-one interactions with caring volunteers.

Volunteers run support groups, greet families in the reception area or serve food during dinner events.

Some volunteers participate in a quilting project for grieving families. The quilting squares are decorated by the families in memory of their lost loved ones.

No special experience is needed to volunteer at the Caring Place. Volunteers must complete a 26-hour training program and submit criminal and child abuse clearances to the state for background checks.

Volunteers must be at least 21 years old. Hours are flexible.

Find out how you can volunteer here.

The Junior League of Erie is accepting nominations for the 2012 RAVE Volunteer of the Year Award.

The RAVE Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes unsung heroes in the community. The Junior League said that nominees can include companies, community members and students.

On May 1, one nominee in each category will be recognized at the RAVE Awards.

“We see a lot of awards which recognize individuals who volunteer their time to a specific cause or individual who’ve made significant financial contributions,” said Tricia Ackerman, Junior League of Erie president, in a news release. “However we know there are hundreds of people in our community that give of their time to not just one, but numerous organizations.”

The RAVE Awards are sponsored by Highmark Inc.

Nominations are due to the Junior League by Feb. 27.

Nomination forms are available on the Junior League’s website.

Completed nomination forms  can be emailed to president@juniorleagueoferie.com or mailed to:

Junior League of Erie

ATTN: Emily Wachter

127 W. Sixth St.

Erie, PA 16501.

If you have any questions, contact Emily Wachter at (814) 450-5339 or wachter.emily@gmail.com.

It’s time to get your walking shoes out or at least, take them out of the closet and dust them off a bit.

Registration for the 2012 Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community begins on Feb. 1.

The 5K walk will take place at Erie’s Presque Isle State Park on June 9.

As an incentive to put an early foot forward, Highmark is entering registered participants who raise $25 by Feb. 29 in a raffle.

Every participant who raises $25 by the day of the event will be given a T-shirt. For every $50 raised for a participating organization, walkers will be entered in a raffle for prizes worth $300.

Want to get involved but fear your family will not make the 5K trek? Not to worry. A family-friendly 1-mile jaunt will also take place.

With the walk still months away, this might be an opportune time to fulfill one of those New Year’s resolutions.

Raise money for a good cause and get outdoors (or on the treadmill) and start walking daily.

Highmark recommends starting with 10 minutes of walking a day and adding five minutes to the routine each week until you get to 30 minutes a day. Make sure to get some longer walks (45 to 60 minutes) in there before the 5K so your body builds stamina. Highmark encourages walkers to stretch thoroughly and drink water while exercising.

For more information about the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community, visit its website or check out its Facebook page.

Graphic courtesy of Highmark