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After Amy Adams accomplished her goal of getting in shape and living a healthy lifestyle, she became passionate about helping other women do the same.

The Burlington woman opened the area’s first 24-hour fitness center for women and used her experience to motivate others.

“She always had encouraging words for them,” said her life-long friend, Cammie Schroll of McLeansville.

Adams died in November. Family and friends will honor her memory by hosting the Amy Adams Dream Walk/Run on May 30.

Proceeds from the 5K event will go to the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County. Participants will walk along Gibsonville’s sidewalks, passing the old location of Bodies in Progress, Adams’ fitness center, on Lewis Street.

The event is family-friendly, with dogs and strollers allowed.
“We want to mobilize the community to keep her goals alive, encourage families to participate in healthy activities they can do together, and raise funds and awareness for local organizations that assist women in their times of need,” Schroll said.

The owners of Focus, Fitness for Women in Burlington have helped to organize the event. Kathy Marino, Karen Horne and Mary Beth Brantner were friends with Adams and worked with her at Bodies in Progress. After Adams died, the women bought the former Bodies in Progress location on South Church Street and opened Focus there.

Many of Adams’ members lost touch after Adams’ two Bodies in Progress locations closed, Horne said. The Amy Adams Dream Walk/Run should allow some of them to reconnect, she said.
The event is about the community and women’s health, not competition. “We’re not timing it,” Marino said.

Schroll said depending on the turnout, the walk may become an annual event. Adams’ husband and brother came up with the idea because of how passionate Adams was about working to improve women’s health and self-esteem.

“We all feel like we should continue it somehow,” Schroll said.
Adams had lost more than 100 pounds and kept the weight off for nine years.

“She understood how hard it was ... the dedication it took.”

Adams’ positive, fun-loving personality drew people in, Schroll said. And she didn’t take life’s gifts for granted. At the end of every entry in her personal journal, Adams would list something for which she was thankful.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610