Taking Off Pounds Sensibly chapter celebrates 20th anniversary

By Rob Vogt

TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) Chapter Alberta 5256 will be celebrating an important milestone later this week.
The chapter was organized on Nov. 16, 2004, with four members, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month.
Currently, there are 24 members, and they still have one of the original charter members attending, Marilyn Heyland.
She also celebrated her 30 years as a TOPS member in January of 2023.
Another member, April Buchanan, also celebrated 30 years TOPS membership in April of this year.
TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) is a non-profit, affordable organization dedicated to weight loss, education, and support.
The chapter meets every Tuesday morning in the Bill Simpson Room at the Claresholm Public Library with weigh-ins starting at 10:15 a.m.
After weigh-ins, there are discussions focusing on dieting, recipes, and strategies for maintaining weight loss through healthy food choices and exercise.
It’s a group that operates on the premise they are not a diet, but a lifestyle, that provides valuable information to maintain healthy habits.
It’s all about accountability and striving to move forward.
There is weekly support for each member and all success is celebrated.
The chapter also entered a float in the Claresholm Fair Days Parade in August with several members participating, and was the largest chapter represented at the TOPS Southern Alberta Fall Rally in Coaldale, with 13 members attending.
If anyone would be interested in starting a new chapter that can meet in the evenings, they are asked to contact Rick Goings at 1-403-808-7029.
TOPS was started by Esther Manz in 1948 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was incorporated in 1952.
It became international in 1955 with the organization of its first Canadian chapter.
In 1958, the first Claresholm chapter was established.
Over the ensuing years, there have been various chapters which have come and gone in Claresholm.