IFFGD's 2025 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event
A Unique Charitable Event with Achievable Goals for All
2024 Event Scrapbook Images
Event Overview
The 2025 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk is a week-long annual charitable event to raise money to support gastrointestinal illness research. The annual event has so far raised $180,000 to support GI illness research and we plan for the 5th year to be our best so far!
The 2025 event will be August 23, 2025 – August 30, 2025. Register to participate.
Like a traditional walk, participants register to be active to get credit for steps taken during the event. However, this event goes beyond a step goal by also awarding points to participants for self-care, wellness, and outreach activities. #Moves4GIhealth25
Who Can Participate?
Anyone that wants to participate, can participate! The event is designed for both athletic and non-athletic participants. And it is all virtual so you can participate regardless of your location!
Participants are awarded points for wellness, self-care, outreach, and physical activity which allows anyone regardless of mobility to participate.
Registration Details
Registrants have four options:
- Bronze $15 Access to event platform, event activities, and eligible for top place medal in fundraising, wellness, engagement, and steps. Note: No t-shirt with this level
- Silver $30 Access to event platform and activities, event t-shirt**, and eligible for top place medal in fundraising, wellness, engagement, and steps.
- Gold $50 Access to event platform and activities, event t-shirt**, printed certificate of completion, IFFGD pen, entry into drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card, and eligible for top place medal in fundraising, wellness, engagement, and steps.
- Platinum $100 Access to event platform and activities, event t-shirt**, printed certificate of completion, IFFGD pen, special IFFGD swag, entry into drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card, eligible for top place medal in fundraising, wellness, engagement, and steps, and eligible medal for Top 3 Total Footprints (Platinum only) medal.
**T-shirts will be ordered and mailed after the conclusion of the event. This allows IFFGD to order the exact number of t-shirts to avoid unnecessary costs. T-shirts will not be mailed outside of the continental United States due to cost. This may not apply to groups receiving shirts at one address.
IFFGD Activities
Participant Activities
There are many ways for participants to earn points regardless of fitness level and mobility. Activities focus strongly on wellness, self-care, as well as traditional and non-traditional fitness activities. Registrants can use IFFGD’s Official 2025 Playbook to make the most of the event.
Self-Care & Wellness Activity: Participants will enter self-care activities in the Charity Footprints platform to receive points. Activity examples include scheduling a healthcare provider appointment, reading, meditation, keeping a food/symptom diary, donating, volunteering, hydrating, engaging in platform chat or Scrapbook (posting, liking, or commenting on an image), inviting participants to join through the platform, and interacting with IFFGD on social media. A full list of self-care activities is available at the link below.
During the event, IFFGD will utilize the Charity Footprints platform chat to engage participants while offering opportunities to earn wellness points. Some of the week’s activities include:
- Virtual Scientific Article Journal Club with Dr. Allen Lee on Monday, August 25th 12:00 p.m. EST via Cisco WebEx. Register here. Article: Endoscopic pyloromyotomy for the treatment of severe and refractory gastroparesis: a pilot, randomized, sham-controlled trial
- Virtual Scientific Article Journal Club with Dr. Ali Rezaie on Wednesday, August 27th 5:00 p.m. EST via Cisco WebEx. Register here. Article: Elemental Diet as a Therapeutic Modality: A Comprehensive Review
- Video Premier of 2-part Complementary and Integrative Health Tools for GI Health with Elyse Thakur, MD, on IFFGD’s YouTube channel for the IFFGD series – 5 Minutes in GI
- Unveiling of 2 Virtual Scavenger Hunts, Now You See Me and Back to the Future, created by IFFGD Program Assistant, Memi Rooker, to exercise your mind!
- Unveiling of additional IFFGD coloring sheets created by artist & GI patient, Kayla Griffin, in IFFGD’s Coloring Book
- An IFFGD created Word Search for some fun!
- Virtual Scientific Article Journal Club (2024) available on IFFGD’s YouTube channel
- Sharing educational fact sheets and recipes from IFFGD’s publication library
- Full list of Wellness Activities
Physical Activity: Steps and activity earn points. The platform, Charity Footprints, offers six (6) wearable device integrations: Fitbit, Apple Health Kit (Apple Watch), Garmin, Misfit, Android Wearables (Google Fit), and Strava. These devices can be linked to sync steps or steps can be entered manually. No fitness tracker? Use this Activity to Step Conversion chart to calculate steps!
Warning: Check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program or making lifestyle changes.
Fundraising: Upon registration, a fundraising page is created for each participant. Participants can share this page on their social platforms or with supporters directly to get donations to support their involvement. Fundraising is appreciated but not required.
Reminiscing Gallery
2020-2024 Event Scrapbook Images
Proceeds for Gastrointestinal Research
One of the goals is to raise money to support gastrointestinal (GI) illness research while providing education and raising awareness about chronic gastrointestinal illnesses.
To date, research support totaling over $200,000 has been funded by the annual Digestive Health Wellness and Walk event.
- In 2022, IFFGD awarded a $30,000 gastrointestinal illness research grant
- In 2023, IFFGD awarded a $35,000 gastrointestinal illness research grant and several smaller supporting grants
- In May 2024, IFFGD awarded a $40,000 gastrointestinal illness research grant, a $5,000 Preceptorship Award, and 15 travel awards
- In 2025, IFFGD awarded a $40,000 research grant and 15 travel awards at Digestive Disease Week in May 2025.
Event Awards
Participating in a fun and worth-while event is rewarding, but it can be exciting to win an accolade for an accomplishment. Registrants have the opportunity to win awards as individuals and as part of a team.
A medal is awarded to winners for the Top Wellness score, Top Engagement score, Top Fundraising, and 1st Place Steps.
A medal is awarded to the Top 3 Footprints scores for Platinum registrants.
Members of the Top Team receive a certificate.
A trophy is awarded to the Top Team for an Academic Institution.
Note: If there is a tie, the winner will be determined by drawing from eligible winners. *Only Platinum level registrants are eligible for Total Footprints award.
2025 event Sponsors
The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) gratefully acknowledges the following companies for their generous support of IFFGD’s 2025 Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event.
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Interested in information on how to sponsor or support the event? Email Jamie DuMont, jmdumont@iffgd.org.
