After more than three years, I'm taking a hiatus from writing Footwork.

Lest you think it's because I've run out of things to say about pedestrian and cycling accessibility, smart growth, the preservation of open spaces and the importance of public places, rails to trails, healthy infrastructures, the physical and economic benefits of walkable communities or the transportation pyramid, my response is a succinct, "Never."

I lost my beloved and much missed baseball-loving brother Ken far too young due to complications from diabetes 2. I have a personal vendetta against inactivity and the environments that foster it.

During the next two months I will devote my energies to completing "Home Plate: The Travelers' Food Guide to Cooperstown and Otsego County." Every business and organization in Otsego County, food related or not, may be included in this non-profit book. Marketed to visitors and residents, Home Plate is a profile of life in Otsego County using food as guide. It celebrates the wonders of our rural life and gives the reader a flavor of our part of Upstate New York. Home Plate is a collaborative project of WE GO and the Cornell University Cooperative Extension. Half of the proceeds from it will fund WE GO projects and half will support CUCE. Public thanks are due to Assemblymember Bill Magee, Otsego County Tourism and the Otsego County Chamber for their support.

In the past four years, The Walking Example Group's potential has grown far beyond a few volunteers.

There is so much to do. Scarcely a week goes by that I am not asked if WE GO can help build a bridge, sponsor a walking team for a good cause, save a rail bed for trail use, attend a health fair, help develop parkland, address an organization or create walking groups for fitness.

WE GO would like to see all of it accomplished, and more. We want Otsego County be a model of rural activity and vitality. However, that much work requires staff and funding. Home Plate is an effort to secure a steady stream of money to help keep WE GO moving forward.

Every business or organization in Otsego County is eligible to be included in Home Plate. Our book offers a rare opportunity to present your enterprise in nationwide limelight and genuinely contribute to the betterment of our area for a modest and tax-deductible investment. Go ahead; step up to the plate and make a difference. Visit www.homeplatefoodguide.com to sign up and for more information.

Brenda Berstler is the founder of the Walking Example Group (WE-GO) a non-profit organization encouraging walking and walkable communities. Visit their website at www.we-go.org.