Those at Heartland Family Wellness Centre in Portage la Prairie are taking to the streets this weekend, as they promote a health lifestyle while raising some funds for a good cause. This Saturday is the first Heartland Hike for Health, and those at the centre have already been preparing and collecting pledges for Love Has No Color, an organization of doctors from across North America working on a Montana Reservation to improve the quality of life. Heartland Family Wellness Centre's Doctor Lisa Graham has been a part of that organization for about seven years, and says they've been able to make great strides in working with the community. She notes once they've learned all they can, the doctors intend to return to their individual communities to impact those areas.

"That day is going to be an exciting day. In the process it's hard, because your heart is split. It's like you want to start right now, but I get it. My mentor says it would diffuse, it wouldn't be as strong, and we wouldn't learn what we need to. There's a sense of research here, and once we're ready, we can bring it back strong to all these people we love locally."

While their staff and a few patients have been collecting pledges for the hike, Graham says they're keeping the event open to all in the community. While the event's described as a five kilometre hike, she says participants can walk any distance they please, and they'll be taking all their distances and combining them on a map of Canada, to see how far they travelled as a group.

"It's about inspiration, community, and hiking together. If we inspire one person to get up in the morning and go for a walk, it's worth it. We also want to inspire kids because we're hiking across Canada in our office. All of the kilometres are being added together and we're showing the cool places that maybe kids wouldn't know about, maybe the dinosaurs in Drumheller or the ice hotels."

She notes they've also created a song called Hiking Through the Heartland Toward the Rising Sun, and are encouraging participants in the hike to dress up in their favourite costumes or clothes. She notes they'll also be collecting donations for Love Has No Color at the event.