Chocolate payoff for Friendship Village residents’ efforts

The 737,658 carefully counted steps resulted in a face full of pudding for each of three fitness associates at Friendship Village of Schaumburg.

During August, residents of Friendship Village were challenged to monitor their steps while working out. The initiative was planned in order to promote walking for health in support of increasing osteoporosis awareness.

Fitness physiologists Jenna Belt, Jessica Enriquez and AJ Alfrey challenged Friendship Village residents to track their steps while working out, with the objective of accumulating 500,000 during the course of a month. If the goal was met, the associates agreed to dunk their heads into giant bowls of chocolate pudding, to retrieve a piece of buried chocolate candy, without using their hands.

Two hundred residents participated, with some using pedometers for tracking, and others simply counting their steps.

Energetic and highly motivated, the residents surpassed their goal, achieving 737,658 steps. The distance is roughly equivalent to 430 miles, or close to the distance from Schaumburg to Omaha, Neb.

Last week, as promised, Belt, Enriquez and Alfrey took the dive into the vats of chocolate pudding to the delight of the residents and fellow associates.

Friendship Village is a continuing care retirement community, in Schaumburg, offering a complete continuum of care including independent living garden homes and apartment homes, as well as assisted living, memory support, skilled care, and short- and long-term rehabilitation services. For more than 35 years, Friendship Village has been providing area seniors with retirement living options. For additional information visit www.friendshipvillage.org.

Ÿ Send Your news to nbrcalendar@dailyherald.com.