Walktober Delivers a
Record-Breaking Month for
Fairfax County’s LiveWell Program
In 2025, Fairfax County’s long-standing LiveWell program brought employees together for a 31-day Walktober wellness challenge. In addition to record participation and strong completion rates, it connected a large, diverse workforce.
Need an example?
A serious illness left one County employee physically unable to walk, sidelining her from Walktober’s central activity. Yet day after day, she remained engaged ― checking message boards, following along with her teammates, and feeling the encouragement of colleagues. Even without logging steps, the experience kept her motivated and emotionally connected, offering an unexpected lift during an otherwise difficult time.
That moment captures what LiveWell is all about. By making engagement the priority over rigid metrics, the County’s wellness efforts create a space for meaningful involvement that can deliver far more than physical activity alone.
A Well-Being Program Built to Scale
Fairfax County is Northern Virginia’s most populous ― and among the largest US counties. Alongside the mission to enrich residents’ quality of life, the County invests in employee well-being through award-winning LiveWell.
The program supports approximately 14,000 eligible employees and extends many offerings to retirees as well as family members. Walktober plays a central role by offering a visible, inclusive way to engage through movement, connection, and shared goals.
“LiveWell is a long-standing initiative; the program itself is the brand used by the Department of Human Resources… ” notes Leigh Ann Henderson, Sr. LiveWell Coordinator. “We work very closely with them, which is a huge asset to our program ― to have that partnership and that collaboration internally.”
Fairfax County also balances high-density suburban life with substantial green space thanks to decades of intentional parkland preservation. Those efforts also help explain the strong culture of movement reflected in their Walktober participation.
A Familiar Favorite That Keeps Gaining Momentum
Walktober has become a signature challenge within LiveWell, including successful programs in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Other motivating and effective HES offerings at the County have included the Star Trak walking challenge, which takes physical activity to new heights.
Fairfax County employees have come to recognize Walktober as a reliable, approachable way to participate in LiveWell. Combining that familiarity with fresh engagement strategies helped fuel a significant participation increase in 2025.
The Challenge: Use Walktober to Power LiveWell
Walktober reached employees across Fairfax County through consistent branding and promotion. The challenge emphasized flexibility and ease, allowing employees from more than 50 departments and hundreds of locations to participate whether they worked at a desk, in the field, or on a hybrid schedule.
By aligning Walktober with the LiveWell program’s broader mission, the County positioned this challenge as a natural extension of year-round well-being efforts rather than a standalone event.
Related: How Jefferson County Brings Well-Being to Life With Wellness Challenges
Engagement Strategy: How LiveWell Drove Results
Here’s the strategy that enabled Fairfax County to deliver record participation:
A strong, visible kickoff: LiveWell introduced Walktober at the County’s main headquarters. Designed as a health fair gathering, the event created immediate energy, encouraged on-site registration, and reinforced the LiveWell program as a visible, engaging presence. Strong attendance helped set the tone for the month ahead.
Team and social participation: Employees embraced the social aspect of Walktober. One team even created custom T-shirts, turning the challenge into a shared identity rather than an individual task. That helped drive engagement and success:
- 70.4% goal achievement among participants on a team
- 70.6% goal achievement among participants who joined with 1 or more friends.
Ambassador-led momentum: A network of approximately 40 people amplified outreach across departments and roles. Ambassadors encouraged colleagues to register, form teams, and build excitement, especially as the County approached and surpassed a major registration milestone.
The Results: Strong Performances Across the County
Numerous improvements in 2025 reinforced the impact of social participation, visible promotion, and consistent program engagement:
- 1199 registrants in 2025
- 799 registrants in 2024.
This marked the highest Walktober participation to date within LiveWell.
Other highlights included:
60.6%
overall achievement
70.4%
achievement among team participants
70.6%
achievement among participants with a friend
69.4%
app adoption
LiveWell also kept incentives simple with a random drawing at the end of Walktober, allowing the focus to remain on participation and connection. Fairfax County chose not to emphasize activities like bingo or heavy social posting, instead letting ambassadors, teams, and peer encouragement organically drive engagement.
“It can take time to build momentum across employees for challenges,” confirms Kayleigh Beard, LiveWell Coordinator. “We’ve been doing Walktober for a few years now and continue to grow it as well as word-of-mouth benefits and excitement around the program.”
Related: Fostering a Healthy Workplace: The Positive Impact of WashU’s Employee Wellness Programs
Key Takeaways for Fairfax County
Fairfax County’s Walktober experience highlights several best practices:
- Consistency builds trust and participation
- Teams increase accountability and completion
- Flexibility supports inclusion across locations, roles, and abilities
- Kickoffs create energy and visibility
- Challenges work best when integrated into a broader wellness strategy.
With record participation and strong engagement, the County continues to show how a thoughtfully designed challenge can reinforce healthy habits and support a diverse workforce.
Walktober also remains more than a step challenge. It’s a clear example of how organizations can bring employees together around movement, community, and shared momentum.
“I really appreciate HES in terms of the sophistication that they bring to the challenges,” Leigh Ann adds. “They’re very visually appealing, very engaging, and very easy to get connected to, which is great. They are flexible and meet people where they are.”
Ready to Start Your Walktober Challenge?
Fairfax County demonstrated the power of a simple, thoughtful wellness challenge to drive meaningful engagement. What started as a walking program quickly became a shared experience that showed how small daily actions can lead to lasting positive change.
Interested in creating your own wellness program that delivers friendly competition and positive results? For more than 30 years, HES has partnered with organizations of all sizes to support healthier, more engaged workplaces. Contact us or call 800.326.2317 to start a conversation about your wellness goals today.