COLUMBIA, S.C. - Supporters of first lady Jenny Sanford's new initiative to get people interested in power walking, raking leaves and other healthy activities gathered Wednesday at the Gov.'s Mansion to announce a statewide challenge.

"Mark and I are both passionate about physical activity and staying well. ... We want people to compete on a statewide basis, to get schools and institutions to compete with one another. Our state will win as a whole if everyone works to make themselves healthier," Sanford said after the event, attended by local celebrities and sports mascots from South Carolina schools.

The governor's wife said the "Healthy South Carolina Challenge" has a Web site to give people information about improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and quitting smoking. Weekly and monthly updates will help people get new ideas for improving themselves and their communities, she said.

"By using the Web site, people can share ideas, let others know what they are doing," Sanford said.

Sanford said a competition will be held to see which county in South Carolina is able to improve its health statistics over the 2005-2006 year. Also, groups in the state - such as schools, hospitals, government agencies, churches or corporations - are encouraged to join in the competition, she said.

The winning residents of the most-improved county will be invited to visit with the governor and his wife at an Open House, Jenny Sanford said.

The statistics are kept by the Department of Health and Environmental Control, rating each county's percentage change in smoking rates, physical activity and body mass index. In future years, fruit and vegetable consumption will also be added, according to the Web site.

The efforts follow the governor's "family fitness challenge," during which the first family biked and canoed at sites across the state to focus on the importance of increasing a family's physical activity.

Dr. Ann Kulze, who will write weekly wellness tips for the Web site, said she was pleased to take part in the effort - given the fact that South Carolina ranks 46th in the country in health statistics issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"The maintenance of a healthy body weight is the single most important step people can take" to improve their physical well being, the Charleston physician said. "This is a great thing."

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On the Net: www.healthysc.gov