Virtual Walk 2023 FAQs:

Fundraising end date: July 31st 

Virtual Walk Weekend Dates: 

  • Any week day or weekend from now until July 31st

Location: Anywhere you choose!

I’m confused, what the heck is the Highmark Walk? 

The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is an annual fundraising walk hosted by Highmark that benefits local health and human service agencies. 

The primary goal of the walk is to help participating organizations raise money for their individual missions. One hundred percent of the funds raised through this event go directly back to the participating organizations.

AUCP is a participating organization and we have been for the past 8 years. Through the Highmark Walk we have been able to raise funds for our Community Fund that allow us to sponsor scholarships, community fund asks (emergency bill payments, home mods not covered by insurance, and more), and holiday blessings.  

How does it work?

Register as a walker by creating your own team or joining an existing one, reach out to your friends and family to support you in raising funds to “sponsor” you and your team. This helps us reach our fundraising goals and continue to make an impact on the community!

Does it cost anything?

Essentially, the Highmark Walk does not cost anything, but our purpose is to raise funds for the Community Fund. So, we ask walkers to help us raise money or donate themselves to support their team and help us reach our goals. When you register as a walker, you do not have to pay to register. You can choose to donate later or invite friends and family to sponsor you by making a donation. 

In order to qualify for t-shirts and prizes from Highmark, there are certain fundraising amount requirements.

Who can participate in the Highmark Walk?

Anybody and everybody. This includes friends, family, coworkers… anyone. If they want to join your team, make sure they are registered as a walker! Children can also register with their parents’ permission.

What is the difference between a walker and a virtual walker? 

Typically individuals would create or join a team as a walker, raise money for your team, and then all participating agencies and all walkers would come together and walk at an event. Virtual walkers in this case would register to join a team, raise money for their team, and simply not attend the in-person event.

You will still create teams and raise $ for your team. The difference is that we have no designated walk weekends (now to Monday, July 31st) where all registered walkers can walk at their own leisure. 

To track who walks, where they walk, and how long they walk just send an email to Dan of when you walked and where with a photo that we can share.  

More details to come!

How do I register as a walker:

Choose which “walk” you’d like to support, Pittsburgh or Laurel Highlands (Altoona, PA). It doesn’t make much of a difference which one you choose, as ultimately the money goes to the same place, however, most will choose the location closest to them. Follow the prompts to fill out your information and choose “virtual” when given the opportunity.

What if I want to participate in both walks?

You can absolutely do this! If you do participate in both walks, you will either have to create or join a team for both locations. This means you will have a walker profile for both links (2 separate). 

Are there any incentives?

Yes!

  • All REGISTERED WALKERS that raise/donate at least $30 will receive a customized 2023 AUCP t-shirt and all REGISTERED WALKERS that raise/donate at least $30 you receive a 2nd t-shirt from Highmark. 
  • Additionally, Highmark hosts their own challenges and chances to win prizes.
    • Challenges typically range from sending emails in the walk system, raising funds, registering as a walker, etc. Their prizes range from sunglasses to gift cards. Once you are registered as a walker, you should receive emails about these challenges. 
    • Raffle Prizes: Each of the seven market locations will have Gift Card prizes available to be won for any participant who raises $50 or more for the event. For every $50 raised, one additional chance will be awarded. Prizes will be drawn at random at the end of the campaign. Prizes will be mailed directly to winners.

Goals:

Help us reach our goal of raising a total of $7,500 in making an impact on the community. Our goal is to have 100 walkers! Individual location walk goals are as follows:

  • Pittsburgh Walk: 5 teams / 30 walkers / $2,500
  • Laurel Highlands Walk: 10 teams / 75 walkers / $5,000

Why is your participation so important?

All of the funds raised during the AUCP Highmark Walk weekend go toward grants for members of our community experiencing financial need. This includes sponsoring scholarships for high school seniors pursuing college degrees in human services. 

  • Every $2,000 that is raised allows us to provide grants to community members each quarter!
  • Every $1,000 helps us sponsor a family during our Holiday Blessings drive and/or sponsor a scholarship for a high school senior pursuing a human service degree.

I am not interested in registering as a walker, but I still want to show my support. How can I get involved?

We love that you asked that question! There are a number of ways you can show your support!

  • Make a donation!
    • Making a donation will help us in reaching our 2023 goals. To do this you can, follow the links above to give online or mail in a check. When you give online you can choose if you’d like to give to a specific team or to the general fund. You can mail a check to 119 Jari Drive, Johnstown, PA 15904 ATTN: HMW 2023. 
  • Snap a picture!
    • We would love to see you supporting AUCP! You can snap a picture of yourself walking.  Then, email the picture to Dan at dhockenberry@scalucp.org.  This picture will then be used in promotional materials to show the support AUCP is receiving from the community. 

I raised the $30, when will I receive my t-shirt(s)?

In order to ensure that we get a t-shirt to everyone that has made a donation of $30 or more, the t-shirt order will not be completed until near the end of the HMW fundraiser. Once we receive the t-shirts, we will send the t-shirts to the address submitted when signing up for the walk. 

VIRTUAL WALK WEEKEND SPECIFICS

Where can I walk?

The joy of a virtual walk is that you can walk literally ANYWHERE!. This can be in your own neighborhood, on the treadmill in your basement, or in a local park! All we ask is that you snap a picture of yourself wherever you are walking and let us know the distance you walked! Follow the steps below to submit your picture!

What distance should I walk?

The Highmark Walk has always given participants the choice on how far they would like to walk. Typically, walkers choose between 1 mile or 5k (3.1 miles). However, we’re leaving this up to you! Whether you choose to walk around the block or 10 miles on the treadmill, it counts!

Okay, I finished walking. How do I submit my picture and distance?

Submitting a picture is easy.

  1. We will share a link for pictures to be uploaded when the time comes.
  2. Fill out the information that it is requesting including the distance that you walked and the number of people you walked with.
  3. Choose the picture(s) that you’d like to upload.
  4. Press submit.