Walking Shoes Needed for Ten Toe Express Journeys

More than 3,000 Northeast Portland residents have received free walking kits as part of the Ten Toe Express program.
Offered by the city's Transportation Options Division, the Ten Toe Express offers free escorted walks at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and on certain Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Some of the walks highlight the art on Alberta Street, architectural history in the Hollywood District and Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood, and stairways and views of the Alameda Ridge. There are also Pub Crawl and Sketchbook Journal walks.
The walking kit includes a pedometer to count steps, a new Northeast Portland walking map, a guided walks schedule and a coupon book for local businesses with over $100 in savings.
The walks are meant to help residents become familiar with Northeast Portland destinations and improve their health in the process.
A major sponsor of the program is Kaiser Permanente.
The program "enhances exercise in our day-to-day lives and gives people the tools and information to increase physical activity in their daily routines," said Nancy Stevens, director of Kaiser Permanente's Community Health Initiative.
"The Ten Toe Walking Kit provides residents with new resources, local activities and incentives and offers them alternatives to jumping in their car," Stevens added.
This is the third year of the Ten Toe Express Program. After successful campaigns in the North Portland Interstate Target Area in 2004 and Southeast Portland in 2005, the city turned to Northeast Portland this year.
For a walk schedule visit www. GettingAroundPortland.org, Northeast Hub, Ten Toe Express or Senior Strolls, or call Rich Cassidy, 503-823-6051.