Active Southern West Virginia takes great pride in its Community Captains. We strongly believe that without them our mission would be impossible. They are dedicated to making their communities a happier, healthier, and an altogether brighter place to live. We are forever grateful for their service and passion for creating free opportunities for their community members to participate in. This month we are highlighting Fayetteville Community Captain Autumn Bess to both show appreciation for her service and to showcase a little bit of her story. We hope it will resonate with some of our readers and motivate them to start their journey toward a healthy and active lifestyle change.
Autumn says she has struggled with being overweight her entire life and has a family history of heart disease. In her early 30s it was discovered that she has high cholesterol and with an office job she doesn’t get much movement during the day. She decided that though some things were out of her control, she could control how physically active she is so she began embracing an active lifestyle to improve her own quality of life and to set a good example for her daughters so that they could get ahead before they get behind.
She began her journey in 2012 when she bought a treadmill and walked a 5K that same year, since then she has participated in a number of 5Ks and has the goal of completing a half marathon. She says, “Physical fitness is a journey for me and has its ups and downs….or perhaps I should say – ons and offs. Being a part of a group like Active Southern WV helps to keep me motivated. You HAVE to surround yourself with people who have common interests and goals.”
Autumn wanted to become a Community Captain for Active SWV because she wants to encourage people of ALL fitness levels to participate.
Being a working mother, the hustle and bustle of everyday life often poses a challenge to reaching her fitness goals but she combats those challenges by trying to fit in a walk on her lunch break or while her kids are practicing sports, and she looks forward to leading the 2-4 mile walk every Sunday for her community.
When asked, “Do you have any words of encouragement for people thinking of becoming a Community Captain or interested in committing to becoming more physically active?” She responded, “No matter where you are at in your journey there are people out there who you will inspire. You might be just what they needed. Share your journey. Stop thinking about becoming physically active and do something – today…right now. It might be a stretch or walking a few steps. Just do it…and do a little bit more tomorrow…and the next day. Don’t compete with the world…….just work on being a better you each and every day.”
Autumn leads the Fayetteville Walking Group every Sunday at 11am, meeting on the steps of the Memorial Building. Anyone is welcome (especially beginners) to join the group at any time and encouraged to bring a friend! Keep up with the Active Southern West Virginia Bulletin Board Facebook group for updates/cancellations. We will be following the school cancellation schedule, so if Fayette County Schools are cancelled the walking group will be also.
You can also stay connected with us by liking our main Facebook page Active Southern West Virginia, keeping up with our Events Calendar at activeswv.org, and following us on Twitter & Instagram (@activeswv).
We are so excited to have Autumn on our team and are still recruiting Community Captains in the communities of Smithers, Gauley Bridge, Pax, Meadow Bridge, and all points in between! Contact Program Assistant Courtney Roark at [email protected] or 304-254-8488.
