VenuWalks Steps Challenge 2025: Where Fitness Meets Philanthropy

VenuWorks is thrilled to announce the return of the annual VenuWalks Steps Challenge, a month-long initiative combining fitness, team spirit, and community impact. From February 10 to March 9, 2025, VenuWorks employees across the nation will lace up their walking shoes and compete for a cause, stepping their way to healthier lifestyles while giving back to their local communities.

The Steps Challenge is more than just a friendly competition—it's a celebration of our commitment to the communities we proudly serve. Each participating venue will form a team of five "VenuWalkers" to walk on behalf of a chosen local nonprofit organization. The top three teams will earn the honor of nominating a nonprofit to receive a prize donation, creating a ripple of positivity for organizations that make a difference. 

“Every step we take is about more than fitness—it’s about creating meaningful change,” said H.R. Cook, VenuWorks Regional Vice President. “The Steps Challenge showcases VenuWorks' dedication to improving our communities, one step at a time." 

Participants will log their steps using the StrideKick Activity Challenge app, whether walking, running, snowshoeing, or skiing. Past challenges have seen incredible achievements, such as the 2024 champions, the Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena team, who logged an astonishing 2.1 million steps to support Hand in Paw—a Birmingham-based nonprofit providing no-cost therapy animals to nursing homes, schools, and veterans’ centers. 

Second place in 2024 went to The Walking Dead from Paducah Convention Center, while Ford Center and Victory Theatre’s 812 Big Steppers claimed third place. Top individual walker Scott Schoenike, Executive Director of VenuWorks’ Evansville venues, recorded an impressive 850,000 steps. 

This year, we invite all VenuWorks employees to join the Steps Challenge and make 2025 unforgettable. Lace up your sneakers, sync your fitness tracker, and step up for a cause—you might just walk your way to victory and help spread smiles across your community. 

The ultimate reward, however, lies in the lives touched and the difference made. So let’s step together, VenuWalkers! The challenge begins Monday February 10th.