But repeat hospital visits, a family history of heart problems, and worried health care professionals put her choices in stark terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround 2022, my doctor told me if I don’t start exercising and eating right, things like that, that I might not have more than five years to live,\u201d she says. \u201cI remember one summer, I think it was three times I had to get admitted to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Luke X. Martin<\/p>\n
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KCUR 89.3<\/p>\n
Shakea Roper started the Marlborough Unstoppables walking group last year because she was looking to make some lifestyle changes. \u201cI remember one summer, I think it was three times I had to get admitted to the hospital,\u201d she remembers. \u201cSo not doing anything wasn’t working for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
All this played out in front of Roper\u2019s children, too \u2014 Phoenyx is now 11 years old, and Keayani is 24.<\/p>\n
Roper turned to walking \u201cbecause I can\u2019t run yet, for one,\u201d she says. \u201cYou have to walk before you run.\u201d<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t as simple as stepping out her front door and doing laps around the block.<\/p>\n
\u201cI live in the Marlborough neighborhood, and that leads to some concerns about safety,\u201d Roper says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are times when you see sirens going, there are times you hear arguments. \u2026 There’s been times where there’s, like, standoffs between the police,\u201d she says. \u201cI did not feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making a connection in Marlborough<\/p>\n
The seeds of an organized walking group were planted last fall, after Roper signed her business up for a booth at the Marlborough Health and Wellness Fair.<\/p>\n
Just before the fair, Roper met the executive director of the Marlborough Community Coalition, Diane Herschberger, and took the opportunity to mention wanting to find someone to walk with.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made sure to follow up with Diane,\u201d Roper says, \u201cand then she introduced me to Sarah, who\u2019s been wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah Sommerkamp, Marlborough Community Coalition\u2019s contracted program manager, was already a prolific walker in the neighborhood thanks to a previous door-knocking campaign<\/a> aimed at reducing crime.<\/p>\n \u201cDiane was like, \u2018There’s this person who’s interested in starting a walking group,\u2019\u201d Sommerkamp remembers learning after the fair. \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018Oh, that’s cool!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Since then, the group has grown slowly but steadily. A grant through the Marlborough Community Coalition provided a small budget for gifts and prizes, and T-shirts with the group\u2019s name on them: \u201cMarlborough Unstoppables.\u201d<\/p>\n Luke X. Martin<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KCUR 89.3<\/p>\n A grant through the Marlborough Community Coalition gave Roper and Sommerkamp a small budget to buy T-shirts with. \u201cThe raffles and the T-shirts, those are just fun,\u201d Sommerkamp says. \u201cBut it’s really about the people.\u201d<\/p>\n The group started with 30-minute walks around the track at Center Elementary School, at 85th Street and Brooklyn Avenue, on Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 9 a.m.<\/a> They have recently added Monday and Tuesday walks at 10:30 a.m. on the Harry Wiggins Trolley Track Trail, starting at the access lot off 85th Street. Roper estimates five to eight people show up consistently, and they have 12 to 15 members.<\/p>\n \u201cThe group is growing because of what is being offered, like friendship, community, we’re doing something that’s good for your health,\u201d Sommerkamp says. \u201cThe raffles and the T-shirts, those are just fun. But it’s really about the people.\u201d<\/p>\n Roper\u2019s 11-year-old daughter often spends sessions zooming around the concrete track on a scooter. Last month, the 24-year-old stuck to a table and bench with a book.<\/p>\n Luke X. Martin<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KCUR 89.3<\/p>\n Phoenyx Roper, at left, Shakea Roper, center, and Keayani Roper took to the Center Elementary School track in September for a group walk with the Marlborough Unstoppables. Shakea Roper says her daughters are her motivation for continuing to walk, and they help keep her accountable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that my daughter enjoys going on these walks and also joining in and being social and encouraging and being able to help keep people accountable \u2014 it’s good for her health, but I also think it’s good for her character development,\u201d Roper says.<\/p>\n Doctors agree small changes can make a difference in people\u2019s health. According to the Mayo Clinic, a daily brisk walk can help<\/a> maintain a healthy weight, prevent and manage heart disease and type 2 diabetes, improve cardiovascular fitness, and strengthen bones and muscles.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m not at the highest level!\u2019<\/p>\n To keep the group inclusive, Roper takes care to make sure any other routes are appropriate for all skill levels. And during summer\u2019s dog days, the group walked in Ward Parkway Shopping Center to avoid the heat.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are places that you can sit down, so if you go around and you need a break, no one’s going to bite your head off,\u201d Roper says. \u201cNo one’s going to judge you if you’re not at the highest level \u2014 I\u2019m not at the highest level!\u201d<\/p>\n In June, members of the group walked in a 2.5-mile neighborhood fun run\/walk organized by Sommerkamp, and some are taking part in a fall scavenger hunt that explores green spaces in Marlborough and beyond until Nov. 5.<\/p>\n \u201cAt some point we want to start walking the actual neighborhood,\u201d Roper says. \u201cI think that it\u2019s going to help with the safety.\u201d<\/p>\n A 2021 study from the city-focused online journal npj Urban Sustainability<\/a> found a 5% increase in street activity in Chicago was associated with 9% less violent crime, and a 5% increase in street activity in New York City was associated with 2.7% less violent crime.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are less likely to do crime in front of other people \u2014 they don’t want to get caught,\u201d Roper says. Plus, \u201cthe more presence that we have, the more people will be able to see it outside their window, even if they haven’t seen a flier.\u201d<\/p>\n Luke X. Martin<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KCUR 89.3<\/p>\n Roper and the Marlborough Unstoppables use Center Elementary School for their sessions because there are benches for breaks, the terrain is flat, and the track is smooth and consistent. One member of the walking group lives right across the street.<\/p>\n Given the walking group\u2019s momentum, it\u2019s easy to forget where the initial push came from. Roper says things have improved there, too.<\/p>\n \u201cThe level of my heart function increased throughout this time,\u201d Roper says.<\/p>\n At her 11-year-old\u2019s most recent laser-tag birthday celebration, \u201cI noticed that my recovery time was much, much better,\u201d she says. \u201cInstead of me having to be on a break for an hour, I only needed like 10 minutes. I have asthma; I didn’t have to take my inhaler.\u201d<\/p>\n Luke X. Martin<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n KCUR 89.3 <\/p>\n As they circle the track at Center Elementary School, walking group members catch up on each others\u2019 lives, learn about things going on in the neighborhood, and offer guidance and support. \u201cHaving someone that can encourage you, having someone that you feel like you need to be there for, is a really big thing for other people’s participation,\u201d Roper says.<\/p>\n Roper says she\u2019s proud of her work so far, \u201cbut I also have bigger goals.\u201d<\/p>\n Those include starting a carpool to make it easier for people to get to sessions, and she envisions expanding into neighborhood services like lawn care and minor home repair.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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