Maricopa County employees hold Chase Field wellness walk; nearly 900 signed up

Maricopa County employees gathered early at Chase Field in Phoenix for a wellness walk, and speakers said nearly 900 people signed up.

County employee 1, a Maricopa County staff member, said she was surprised by the turnout and that many colleagues were willing to get up at 6:15 a.m. to take part in the walk. “3, 2, 1. Go to the rescue. And I'm kind of surprised by the amount of people. I didn't know there were so many county employees or at least that many that were were willing to get up at 06:15 in the morning to do this walk,” she said.

County employee 2, a Maricopa County staff member, described the mood as upbeat and framed the event as a celebration of health and wellness. “It's awesome. It's great to see such a huge crowd. Everyone's in a good mood. It's bright and early. It's a beautiful day here in Phoenix, but also this is about celebrating health and wellness today,” the employee said.

County employee 1, who said this was her first time participating in the Chase Field walk after roughly five years with the county, said the walk offered a chance for staff from different departments to reconnect after the COVID-19 pandemic. She said: “This is actually my first time doing the Chase Field Walk. I've been with the county for about 5 years now coming this fall, and I thought that, you know, COVID kinda drove everybody apart, and this is a really great opportunity that everybody from all different departments and ways of life kinda come together to do a walk over to Chase Field.”

County employee 3, a Maricopa County staff member, said the event helped bring employees together “as a family” and provided an opportunity to meet staff from other departments.

County employee 4, a Maricopa County staff member, gave the figure for registrations: “Oh, it's amazing. We have double the sign ups that we had last year. Nearly 900 people signed up this year.”

Participants and speakers also emphasized that the walk served as a reminder to stay active: “It's a constant reminder of the importance of just getting out walking, getting a little exercise,” County employee 2 said. The event combined brief socializing across departments with the walk route around Chase Field.

Organizers and participants framed the walk as an employee wellness and community-building activity; there were no formal votes, policy actions, or funding decisions recorded during the remarks.