IFFGD's 2024 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event
IFFGD's 2024 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event
A Unique Charitable Event with Achievable Goals for All
Event Dates
Registration opens on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The virtual event is Saturday, July 6, 2024 – Saturday, July 13, 2024.
Event Overview
The 2024 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk held Saturday, July 6, 2024 – Saturday, July 13, 2024 is a charitable event to raise money to support gastrointestinal illness research.
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. #Moves4GIhealth24
2023 Event Scrapbook
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
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. Amol Sharma on Monday, July 8th 1:00 p.m. EST
- Virtual Scientific Article Journal Club with Dr. Kyle Staller on Wednesday, July 10th 1:00 p.m. EST
- Video Premier on IFFGD’s YouTube channel for the new IFFGD series – 5 Minutes in GI
- Unveiling of IFFGD coloring sheets created by artist, Kayla Griffin
- Video Premier of cooking demonstrations of GI-friendly recipes hosted by registered dietitians
- Sharing educational fact sheets and recipes from IFFGD’s publication library
- Special 1-hour in-person & livestream exercise event with a mix of cardio, stretch, and strength training. The event is Saturday, July 6th (Time TBD) and is hosted by IFFGD at Jazzercise – Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Livestream: https://myfitpro.com/jazzercise-mt-pleasant) Note: Do not participate in an exercise program without checking with your healthcare provider first.
- Virtual Jazzercise classes for the week of the event
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.
Self-Care & Wellness Activity: Participants will enter self-care activities in the Charity Footprints platform to receive the points allotted for the activity. 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 will be available to participants.
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. Activity to Step Conversion Chart 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.
Looking Back at IFFGD's 2021 & 2022 Wellness Events
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 $105,000 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 will award a $40,000 gastrointestinal illness research grant, a $5,000 Preceptorship Award, and 15 travel awards
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 small 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 special medal is awarded to the Top 3 Footprints scores for Platinum registrants.
Members of the Top Team receive a certificate.
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.
2024 Event Sponsors
The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) gratefully acknowledges the following companies for their generous support of IFFGD’s 2024 Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event.
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Mt. Pleasant, SC
Becoming aN EVENT Sponsor:
Email jmdumont@iffgd.org or iffgd@iffgd.org if you would like information on becoming an event sponsor
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I get credit for my physical and wellness activities? Steps can be automatically synced to the event by linking your fitness tracker (Fitbit, Apple Health Kit (Apple Watch), Garmin, Misfit, Android Wearables (Google Fit) and Strava) or manually entered into Charity Footprints platform. Other physical or wellness activities will need to be entered in Charity Footprints by logging in to the website or mobile application and selecting Add New Activities. The list of options will be available in the drop down.
- Can I participate if I don’t have a fitness tracker? Yes! Keep track of your steps or miles using a pedometer, your phone, or other device. Then manually enter the steps into Charity Footprints.
- Can I get credit for physical activity i.e. swimming, weightlifting, housework, etc.? Yes, use the exercise conversion chart provided to translate the activity into steps. Then enter the steps manually into Charity Footprints. Activity to Step Conversion Chart
- Do I have to fundraise? Fundraising is not required to participate. However, this is an activity that will get you more points toward your total and more funding to support gastrointestinal illness research.
- What if I want to be on a team but don’t have one? Participation in the event does not require a team; however, it can be fun to have the comradery. If you are not able to recruit a team and want to participate with one then email jmdumont@iffgd.org to find a team that is looking for new members.
- Why are my steps from my activity tracker not showing? Check to verify that you have synced your tracker to its application. Then open the Charity Footprints application. This should sync the steps. Email jmdumont@iffgd.org if you need assistance.
- Are the activities cumulative for the whole event? Yes, the wellness and physical activities from July 6 – July 13, 2024 are totaled for your final score.
- How do I earn Engagement Points? Engagement points are automatically awarded for activities in the event platform, Charity Footprints, Scrapbook or Chat area. For Chat, the engagement activities include starting or participating in a chat or liking a chat. For Scrapbook, the engagement activities include posting an image, commenting on an image, or liking an image.
- When do I get the t-shirt? T-shirts will be mailed at the conclusion of the event. We do this to allow registration and participation through the event end date and to ensure that we only order the exact number of shirts needed. This allows us to keep expenses down while still getting everyone a shirt. Note: Due to cost, shirts will not be sent outside of the continental United States. This may not apply to groups receiving shirts at one address. International participants should email Jamie DuMont, jmdumont@iffgd.org, if they would like to cover postage to receive a shirt or to make arrangements to pick up a shirt at ACG 2024 or DDW 2025.
Have other questions? Contact jmdumont@iffgd.org or watch the informational video.
