With the start of spring just weeks away and area residents eager to get back outside, Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) and AARP in St. Louis have announced that registration is now open for the CMT Ten Toe Express® program. This award-winning program features weekly guided tours that mix walking and transit use to help older adults and other interested individuals lead healthier lives. The 12-week spring session will kick off Friday, April 5, with a special walking tour of CITYPARK Stadium in downtown St. Louis and will run through the end of June. Registration for the spring session is req
uired and can be completed online at www.cmt-stl.org or at one of the many in-person registrations events being held community wide. There is a registration fee of $15 to cover a portion of the program costs.
The Ten Toe Express® program links activity, sociability and exercise with the use of MetroLink and MetroBus. Each weekly walking tour is led by a trained, volunteer walk leader and ranges in length from 0.3 to 5 miles, depending on the group and destination. Each tour starts from an area Metro Transit Center – including Brentwood I-64, Forest Park-DeBaliviere, Belleville and Shrewsbury-Lansdowne 44. Participants then take the MetroLink or MetroBus to Forest Park, downtown St. Louis, the Delmar Loop, downtown Belleville or other areas (depending on the week), where they explore local attractions and stop for lunch or a snack before heading back. Walking maps with instructions on how to utilize transit to get to many of the region’s cultural and entertainment hot spots are available online to assist those who want to explore areas independently.
All registrants receive a walking kit, which is valued at $50 and includes a CMT Ten Toe Express® belt bag, pedometer and MetroLink tickets. Any individual who opts into receiving information on AARP also receives a special gift, while supplies last. Registration can be completed at www.cmt-stl.org or at the following registration events being held in March and April:
- Wednesday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to noon – Shrewsbury Community Center, 5200 Shrewsbury Ave. St. Louis, MO 63119
- Friday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to noon – St. Clair County Office on Aging, 201 North Church Street Belleville, IL 62220
- Tuesday, March 12, from 9 a.m. to noon – Belleville Transit Center, 718 Scheel St. Belleville, IL 62220
- Wednesday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to noon – Shrewsbury Community Center, 5200 Shrewsbury Ave. St. Louis, MO 63119
- Friday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to noon – St. Clair County Office on Aging, 201 North Church Street Belleville, IL 62220
- Tuesday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to noon – Florissant Senior Resource Fair at JFK Community Center, 315 Howdershell Road Florissant, MO 63031
Special walks, like the April 5 walking tour at CITYPARK Stadium, home to St. Louis CITY SC, are scheduled periodically throughout the season and may include additional costs. This particular one-hour walking tour is two to three miles in length and will be led by a CITYPARK guide, giving walkers access to parts of the stadium typically not available to fans. After the tour, walkers will have the opportunity to explore the Pillars of the Valley monument, a tribute to Mill Creek Valley. Space for this special tour is limited, and registration – which can be completed online or at one of the in-person registration events – is required.
“Over the years, the Ten Toe Express® program has helped thousands of older adults maintain their independence and mobility by providing them with an opportunity to get moving, socialize with others and become familiar with our region’s transit system,” said Kimberly Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit. “The spring and fall sessions attract hundreds of participants each year. While many of these are new registrants, there are dozens who have been participating in the Ten Toe Express program for years – a testament to how truly impactful this program really is.” To learn more about the Ten Toe Express® program, visit www.cmt-stl.org or call 314-231-7272.
About Citizens for Modern Transit
Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) is the region’s transit advocacy organization. It was established in 1985 to help bring light rail to St. Louis and works to develop, support and enhance programming and initiatives to ensure safe, convenient and affordable access to the region’s integrated public transportation system. CMT champions, challenges, encourages and advocates for public transit in an effort to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life in the St. Louis region.
About AARP in St. Louis
AARP in St. Louis is the local connection for AARP – the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people to choose how they live as they age. Locally this is done through virtual & in-person engagement opportunities, legislative efforts on the local, state and federal level, educational resources, and volunteer opportunities. Advocating for and supporting efforts that contribute to creating a lifelong community is at the core of what we do in the St. Louis region. www.aarp.org/stlouis
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Kelly Harris
The Hauser Group
314-436-9090