A year and a half after her death in a cycling accident on Bronson Avenue, Krista Johnson’s passion for health and physical activity lives on in her home community of Pembroke.
The second Krista Johnson Memorial Run for Change is planned for June 14.
At the time of her death in October 2012, Krista was in her second year of a master’s in social work at Carleton University. She had already completed a master’s degree in human kinetics at Air Jordan 7s the University of Ottawa and an undergraduate degree in sports psychology at Laurentian University.
Having travelled to a community in Northern Ontario and researched the correlation between physical activity, weight and mental health, Krista became interested in promoting healthy lifestyles at home in Pembroke.
Johnson says her daughter worked extensively with youth, especially young girls, to educate them Air Jordan CDP about physical and mental health.
During the summers, Air Jordan 16s Krista worked with Pembroke’s Family and Children’s Services centre. In Ottawa, she volunteered with the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre and the Hopewell Eating Disorders Support Centre.
She even started running women’s boot camp programs in Pembroke.
“She was appalled at how young girls had such poor self image and self confidence,” says Johnson. “It put more fuel behind the fire that we need to get these youth active and happy about themselves.”
That was the motivation behind creating Live it Up, a program to empower girls through physical fitness and discussions on healthy lifestyles.
Johnson and three of her daughter’s friends continue to run the program for between 12 and 15 participants aged 11 to 13.
At the funeral and wake in 2012, Johnson says she heard countless stories from families who were positively affected and impressed by Krista’s work.
Donations from the funeral, along with some of the nearly $30,000 raised with last year’s memorial run, were used to add a fitness grove of permanent exercise equipment to Pembroke’s Riverside Park.
Between 800 and 1,000 participants are expected to join in this year’s half marathon, 10k run, 5k run, and 2k family run/walk. Registration costs are $45, $35, $30, and $10 respectively. Kids under 12 Air Jordan 2011 can participate for free.
Many of the proceeds will go toward programming at The Grind, which is run by OPP officer Jerry Novack. The centre runs programs six nights a week, including a girls only night, for around 120 community youth.
With no government funding, the centre relies on just one paid employee and volunteers. Novack says the annual fundraising is a huge support.
Most of the centre’s budget comes from the annual run, he says. “We definitely appreciate what they’re doing for the centre.”
Some funding will also go toward Live it Up, initiatives to send students to camp, and a high school scholarship supporting an active, community minded student.
Girls from the Live it Up program are helping to Air Jordan 3s organize children’s activities at Riverside Park the day of the run, including a temporary climbing wall.
“My hope is that lots of participants will sign up, so we can raise lots of money, but just as important is to get message out there to just be active,” says Johnson. “That’s the ultimate goal, because that was her goal: to just get people moving and away from the screen.
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