From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — A Trussville woman was among 18 men and women in Alabama who won cash prizes for Scale Back Alabama.
Cheryl Moore of Trussville and her partner in the contest, Debbie Stephens, of Birmingham, were second prize winners in the statewide contest.
More than 51,000 pounds were lost from January through April, and lots of healthy habits were formed. In all, 17,682 team members participated and there were 3,252 people who lost at least 10 pounds.
Alabama currently has the fifth highest rate of obesity in the country, something that can lead to high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and many other diseases. According to the contest sponsors, Scale Back Alabama is a once a year challenge that is meant to bring awareness to the program and to help individuals eat better foods and exercise more.
The Alabama Hospital Association, Alabama Department of Public Health, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama are the sponsors of the program, which is now in its 13th year.
In addition, the names of 40 individuals were randomly selected to win cash prizes for their weight loss of 10 pounds or more.
2019 Winners
First Place – $1,000 each
· Celia Moore of Falkville and Cassandra Graves of Town Creek, Ala.
· Healthy Chargers; Teresa Shurtz and Rick Shurtz of Madison, Ala.
· Jamie Dobbins and Aaron Burch of Mobile, Ala.
Second Place – $500 each
· Dynamic Duo; Jessica Price of Prattville and Jessica Chentelle Sprouse of Montgomery, Ala.
· Debbie Stephens of Birmingham and Cheryl Moore of Trussville, Ala.
· Smallsville; Jose Rodriguez of Fairhope and Elizabeth Day of Irvington, Ala.
Third Place – $250 each
· Shavia Safford of Bay Minette and Ellen Maier of Mobile, Ala.
· Fitout Guru’s; Jimmie Wiggins of Semmes and Paul Shepperson of Mobile, Ala.
· Shake and Bake; Kevin Harrison and Anthony Johnson of Mobile, Ala.
In addition, three Alabama schools were awarded special recognition and prizes that promote good nutrition and physical activity habits for students.
2019 Scale Back Alabama School Winners
· First Place – Morris Mills Elementary School
· Second Place – Opp High School
· Third Place – Haleyville High School