Lace up your sneakers, put winter behind you and join family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and treatment providers for the 2^nd Annual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk!

Join hundreds; yes hundreds of walkers, volunteers, and a generous group of donors that will come together as an OCD Community.

YOU made last year’s walk a huge success, and so we wanted to make our plans for this year even bigger.  As such, while our flagship walk will take place in Boston on June 7, 2014, we are please to announce that we are becoming bi-coastal!  The IOCDF and OCD Sacramento (an affiliate of the IOCDF) will co-host the first 1 Million Steps 4 OCD 4K Walk in Sacramento on May 10, 2014!  The Sacramento Walk will be the first of many walks we intend to create all over the country in the coming years.

There are many ways in which you can walk and raise awareness and funding for OCD programs.  Together, they will increase awareness around OCD and related disorders and make a powerful statement about our shared commitment to help people living with OCD and raise the dollars that make it possible for the IOCDF to develop, fund, and facilitate much-needed programs—programs that improve the lives of individuals and families… programs that provide hope.

The Walk is about community.

If you have ever been to the IOCDF’s Annual OCD Conference, you know what I mean when I say community.  You find yourself among folks who understand OCD, the experience of living with OCD and to some extent… they understand you. It is a powerful feeling. I felt this same sense of community at last year’s Walk in Boston — and it, too, was powerful.  Walking with a diverse group of 200 plus people of all ages, wearing the same T-shirt was not only powerful it was empowering!

The IOCDF and our affiliates bring together people, resources, and programs to help people living with OCD and related disorders — but we could not do our work without the support of our diverse community. Get involved with our work, and make a lasting impact on local families and communities.

The more visible we become the more we will create change.

BOSTON & NEW ENGLAND

The flagship 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk in Boston will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2014. Members of the OCD community, including friends, family members, coworkers, children, (and even dogs), will gather at Jamaica Pond in Boston to meet others in the OCD community, raise awareness about OCD and related disorders, and raise funds to help support the programming and resources of the IOCDF. Last year, more than 300 participants raised $75,000 and walked 8.3 million steps in Boston and in their own communities all over the country.  If you live in New England and would like to attend the Boston walk, click here:  www.iocdf.org/walkBOSTON

SACRAMENTO & NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The first annual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk in Northern California on Saturday, May 10, 2014!  All proceeds from the walk will support programs of both OCD Sacramento and the IOCDF.  The walk will take place at Southside Park, a popular park in downtown Sacramento that is located just blocks from the State Capital.  If you live in the Northern California area and want to participate in the Sacramento Walk click here:  www.iocdf.org/walkNORCAL

IN YOUR OWN TOWN

Even if you can’t take part in the Boston or Sacramento walks, you can join the walk “virtually” by setting up a fundraising page, and pledging to Walk for OCD between now and June 7th.  This can be something you do on your own, such as your daily morning walk or run, or you can gather a team of friends and family to walk with you at a local park on a specific day.  If you sign up by May 10, 2014 you can even receive your walk T-shirt in time to wear it as you walk.  To walk in your town, click here www.iocdf.org/virtualwalk

There are so many ways to get involved with the IOCDF and to make a difference the Walk provides an opportunity to have fun and advocate for a better understanding of OCD.

Each participant’s motivation to walk is unique; it may be for themselves their child, a loved one or a neighbor.  1 in 100 people in the US are living with OCD. And many of those people don’t have access to effective treatment. Help us change that. Take a step and be part of #1million4OCD.

Here are some ways in which you can join:

• Register to become a walker:

  • Join the 5K Walk in Boston: www.iocdf.org/walkBoston
  • Walk in 4K Walk in Sacramento: www.iocdf.org/walkNorcal
  • Walk in your own community as a Virtual Walker: www.iocdf.org/virtualwalk

• Help spread the word about the Walk

  • Email friends and family who might be interested in learning more or participating in the virtual or in person walk
  • Post links to our walk pages on your FaceBook or Twitter accounts
    • www.iocdf.org/walkBOSTON for information about the Boston Walk
    • www.iocdf.org/walkNORCAL for information about the Sacramento Walk
    • www.iocdf.org/virtualwalk for information about our virtual walk

• Become a donor for the walk.

  • There will be many fundraisers and teams looking for donors.
  • Click here to find walkers or team to donate to.
  • Or feel free to contact the office directly at 671-973-5801.

• Become a fundraiser for the walk.

  • To do this you would register for the walk on FirstGiving.org. Once you’ve registered as a fundraiser you will be asked to create your own fundraising page with its own URL!
  • Share your newly created fundraising page via your networks in real-life (family, friends, and colleagues) and online (via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, etc.). Use the tips and tools in our fundraising toolkit to achieve the most visibility.

• Start your own walk team!

  • When you register you will be asked if you want to join an existing team or start your own.
  • If you want to start your own team, pick a team name.
  • Then invite your friends, families, schoolmates, coworkers, etc., to join your team and walk in Boston on June 8^th or become a virtual walker with you
  • Encourage individuals to make donations to your team via your fundraising page as well!