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IFFGD's 2023 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event:
A Unique Charitable Event with Achievable Goals for All

Thank you to all of the event supporters.

See you for the 2024 Event! 

2023 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness Event Final Stats
2023 Wellness Event Top Placement

2023 Event Summary

Thank you to everyone that supported the 2023 event. Below are the event numbers:

  • # of Registered Participants: 488
  • # of Supporters: 1,022
  • # of Teams: 30
  • # of Sponsors: 14
  • Participants in 5 countries & 34 US states
  • Registration & Donations: $21,593
  • # Steps Taken: 23,367,343
  • # of Wellness\Participation Points: 14,445,761
  • # of Engagement Points: 69,810
  • Scrapbook Posts: 297
  • $75,000 to fund 2024 awards

Event Overview

The 2023 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness and Walk 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.

By adding these alternative activities, we hope that anyone that wants to participate, can participate. #Moves4GIhealth23

Event Dates

The event will span 8 days starting on Saturday, June 24, 2023 through Saturday, July 1, 2023.

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!

The event will provide goals that can be achieved by people of varying abilities as activities will focus strongly on wellness, self-care, as well as traditional and non-traditional fitness activities. Goals will go beyond physical fitness by encouraging participants to schedule a healthcare provider appointment or colonoscopy, try a new gut-friendly recipe, or start a diary of their food and/or symptoms.

Participants are awarded points for wellness, self-care, outreach, and physical activity which allows anyone regardless of mobility to participate. 

Registration Details

Registration offers four levels to participants.  The higher the level selected, the more benefit for the registrant. 

IFFGD's 2024 Virtual Digestive Health Wellness & Walk: Registration Table

Notes about event t-shirt:

  • T-shirts are unisex short sleeved Gildan dry blend 65% Poly\35% cotton.
  • Bronze level registration does not include a t-shirt.
  • T-shirts will be ordered and mailed after the conclusion of the event. This allows us to order the exact number of t-shirts to avoid unnecessary cost.
  • 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. 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 2023 or DDW 2024. 

Participant Activities

There are many ways for participants to earn points regardless of fitness level and mobility. Categories include self-care activity, physical activity, and fundraising.

  • 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 (liking, replying or commenting), engaging in platform Scrapbook (posting, liking or commenting on an image), inviting participants to join through platform, and interacting with IFFGD on social media. A full list of self-care activities is below and will be available to participants. 
  • Physical Activity: Steps and activity earn points toward your overall total. Whether you are an occasional exerciser or training for a marathon. Everyone can participate at their own level. 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 the platform to sync steps. Steps can also be entered manually through the Charity Footprints mobile application (IOS and Android) or the Charity Footprints website. A activity to step conversion chart is available below. 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. Participants receive points for inviting others to donate through platform and for donations made on their fundraising page but they are not required to fundraise.

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:

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.

The proceeds will be used to support research activities for gastrointestinal illness. To date, research support totaling  $85,000 has been funded by the annual Digestive Health Wellness and Walk event.  

In 2022, IFFGD awarded a $30,000 gastrointestinal illness research grant made possible by the proceeds from the 2021 event, Make Moves for GI Health.  

In 2023, IFFGD will award a $35,000 gastrointestinal illness research grant and several smaller supporting grants made possible by the proceeds from the 2022 event.  Our goal for the 2023 is to exceed the prior grant award through individual registrant fundraising and our sponsors.  

The 2024 IFFGD awards are open for applications. Application deadline is midnight, Friday, January 12, 2024.  Details below:

  • One research grant of $40,000 to go towards direct costs is available for innovative research related to gastrointestinal disorders. For projects with total estimated costs greater than the amount of the award, additional sources of funds may be used to complete the project. All financial resources will be acknowledged in any report of the research. You can learn more about this research grant and eligibility as well as access the application form here.
  • One preceptorship award of up to $5,000 is available to early career physicians or advanced practice providers with an interest in clinical aspects of functional gastrointestinal (GI) and motility disorders to visit a medical center with expertise in these disorders for the period of four weeks. You can learn more about this preceptorship award and eligibility as well as access the application form here.
  • Fifteen travel awards of up to $2,000 each are available for young researchers focused on research in the area of gastrointestinal disorders. You can learn more about these travel awards and eligibility as well as access the application form here.

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.

2023 Wellness Event Award Categories

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. 

Next Steps

  1. Register, Donate, or both! And mark your calendar with event dates so you can join the fun.
  2. Start to recruit others to create a team to have more fun, create friendly competition, and to raise more money to support gastrointestinal (GI) illness research.
  3. Share information about the upcoming event on social channels, with family & friends, and healthcare providers in your network.  The media toolkit with suggested posts, flyer, and images is available to help. 
  4. Get ready to support the for gastrointestinal illness community. 

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.
  • 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? 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 June 24 – July 1, 2023 are totaled for your final score.
  • 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 2023 or DDW 2024. 

Have other questions? Contact jmdumont@iffgd.org or watch the informational video.

Looking Back at IFFGD's Digestive Health Wellness Event

2022 Participant Scrapbook Posts

2023 Event Sponsors

The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) gratefully acknowledges the following companies for their generous support of IFFGD’s 2023 Digestive Health Wellness & Walk Event.

Platinum Sponsors

Ardelyx Logo
Ironwood
Takeda Logo

Gold Sponsors

abbvie
Alimetry
Braintree Sebela Logo
Evoke Pharma
Jazzercise - Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

  Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

Mechanisms in Medicine
Pfizer Logo
Phathom Pharmaceuticals
Salix Pharmaceuticals
Vanda Pharmaceutical

Nonprofit Sponsors

Rome Foundation Logo web transparent
Becoming aN EVENT Sponsor:

Email jmdumont@iffgd.org or  iffgd@iffgd.org if you would like information on becoming an event sponsor

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IFFGD is a nonprofit education and research organization. Our mission is to inform, assist, and support people affected by gastrointestinal disorders.

Our original content is authored specifically for IFFGD readers, in response to your questions and concerns.

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