Oprah's Big Give to Help Beautify Fort Wayne

The City of Fort Wayne is joining with its trail partners to give big and give back as part of Oprah’s Big Give Fort Wayne Trails initiative.

Each of the organizations will host a walk, bike ride or run fund-raising event concurrently April 12 and then gather that afternoon for a free event from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Headwaters Park Lincoln Pavilion. Event organizers expect this to be the most number of people on trails in Fort Wayne and New Haven ever in a single day.

The free Headwaters event will focus on health, safety, recreation and enjoyment of Fort Wayne and New Haven’s trail system. It will have free food, giveaways and prizes, live music from local band Teays Vein, and booths from local vendors. Participation in a walk or ride is not necessary to attend the Headwaters party.

“Trails are truly an asset for our community. They provide walkers and cyclists with safe routes for recreation and transportation,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “They add to the overall quality of life for Fort Wayne and New Haven residents alike, and even play a role in economic development, demonstrating our area’s commitment to investing in all forms of infrastructure. Continuing to expand and connect this vital transportation network is key for our City and our community.”

Money raised through this event and other donations from individuals or corporations will be used to expand the local trail network. The City will focus on the planned Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, which will connect trails in Aboite Township with the Rivergreenway. This 5-mile path is a key segment to eventually create 40 miles of contiguous trails throughout Allen County.


The television show “Oprah’s Big Give” selected ABC affiliate Indiana’s NewsCenter and the local non-profit Aboite New Trails for a donation of $10,000. The mission from “Oprah’s Big Give” was to find a way to grow the money into something larger.

Each walk or bike event has a $10 registration fee per person, with children 6 and under free. The cost includes a t-shirt. Registration forms for each organization’s event are available on the City’s Web site, http://www.cityoffortwayne.org/. Each organization is handling its own registration.

The following is a list of each walk or ride event for April 12.

Aboite New Trails:
Registration and pre-walk/bike activities including a children’s bike helmet give-away will be 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Indian Trails Park for Bike/Walk About Aboite. At 11 a.m. the walk and bike rides will start. Jason Minnick of Catalyst Fitness will lead a guided 4.5-mile walk. Bicyclists will ride for 8 miles separate from the walking path with a police escort on the sections of the route that are on roadway.

Greenway Consortium:
A Greenway Fun Run and Walk event will be at 12:30 p.m. starting from Headwaters Park. The walk will be a 2-mile loop that will finish at Headwaters. The run will be 3 miles and also end at Headwaters in time for the 2 p.m. party.

New Haven/Adams Township Park and Recreation:
Registration will start at 10:30 a.m. at Moser Park and include appearances that morning from the New Haven Alumni Band and the Woodlan High School cheerleaders. Cyclists and walkers can ride or walk the 8 miles to Headwaters Park, demonstrating the connected trails between New Haven and Fort Wayne. The bike ride will start at noon; walkers can leave at any time. There will be a second starting point, the North River Road boat launch, which is closer to Fort Wayne for those who want to walk or ride a shorter distance.

Northwest Allen Trails:
Participants in the Spring Walk-a-Mile at the Parkview YMCA/ Salomon Farm trail can start anytime between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Parkview YMCA. The trail’s loop is approximately 2 miles.