Swift Current's champion for healthy lifestyles and physical activity will ride off into the sunset from her position following this afternoon's Kiddies Day Parade.

Hired 13 years ago by Nicole Spenst, the City's In-Motion Community Facilitator Val Choo Foo is retiring from the job after spending the last decade creating and fostering several programs.

"(They've) let me design it and let it evolve with whatever programs that I felt the community was looking for," she said. "Over these 13 years, I've had the honour and privilege to work with many people at many different programs right from babies up to seniors."

The role, which focuses on promoting healthy lifestyles, covers and provides a lot more than just physical activity and eating healthy snacks.

"Probably more important than that is the connections," she said. "The social, mental, and emotional connection that we make with people. That's what I'll miss, is being in the pulse of everything that's happening and the energy that I thrive on and enjoy."

Walking for Wellness, Forever... In Motion, Munch 'N Move, and the Wellness Challenge are a few of the programs that stand out to her, however, the former teacher said the Active Play Program was her favourite.

The program would stop at all five of the K to grade eight schools in Swift Current for six weeks annually twice per week offering children a chance to partake in a variety of activities, games, and learning about nutrition. In the 12 years the program ran, nearly 3,000 students participated.

"There was lots of research that was coming about on after-school hours and how that was a really important time in many families lives where children were unsupervised with parents working," she said. "We had a lot of kids that go home unsupervised, that might be where unhealthy behaviours or risky behaviours are happening."

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