Community Corner

Hundreds Attend Dexter Wellness Walk to Celebrate Opening of Border-to-Border Trail Connector

Dexter residents raise $11,000 for the Dexter Relief Fund through partnership with the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation.

One year ago, Dexter resident Mark Olexa was diagnosed with bladder cancer and quitely let his birthday slip by without a birthday cake or celebration with friends and family.

"I wasn't feeling very happy," Olexa said.

A year later, Olexa, who has been cancer free for the past 11 months, has found a new lease on life and celebrated his birthday on Saturday with hundreds of residents for the second .

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The 2-mile walk, which was organized by the Dexter Health Coalition and the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation (CWF), served to both promote the importance of active lifestyles in the community as well as officially open the to the Westridge Subdivision and Gordon Hall. Several residents also saw the event as an opportunity to spend time with their neighbors and celebrate the resilience of the community following the that touched down in Dexter.

"All of the volunteer efforts to help those affected by the tornado have brought out the best in people," Olexa said. "Dexter can serve as a model to the world. In times of distress, limited government oversight combined with the creativity of the people has a profound impact on a community."

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To help encourage participation in the walk, the CWF pledged to donate $20 to the Dexter Relief Fund for every adult that participated.

"We're so glad that everyone came out for the wellness walk, not only to support those affected by the tornado, but also to promote this wellness opportunity and call attention to the coalition's efforts," Amy Heydlauff, executive director of the CWF said.

Roughly 591 adults attended the walk, for a combined donation of $11,820.

Village President Shawn Keough said the opening of the Westridge connector has been 10 years in the making.

"The path is a symbol of our togetherness as a community," he said. "Through working with the county parks, we were able to accomplish our goal, which is to promote the safety and health of our community. Having the opportunity to officially open the trail and support the Dexter Relief Fund at the same time is just the icing on the cake."

State Rep. Mark Ouimet, R-Scio Township, said being able to see Dexter residents smile and enjoy their time together on Saturday was "very inspiring."

"It has been very touching to watch this community come together to help their neighbors," Ouimet said. "In this day and age, it's just nice to see."

Ouimet has been hard at work researching language to that would provide more financial aid to Michigan communities devastated by natural disasters.

"I think this whole experience has been emotionally hard for everyone involved," he said. "You have to find a way to decompress when you watch everything your neighbors went through. (The wellness walk) has been a real celebration of what Dexter has been through and how positive its residents have been during the rebuilding process."


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