Forsite Benefits along with Motion Connected is hosting a toy & animal shelter drive this holiday season!

On or before Wednesday, December 14th, please drop off your donations with the Forsite team at 2300 Riverside, Dr. in Green Bay, WI. Our team members will collect your donations just beyond the doors at the back, lower side of the 2300 building.

JUNE 28, 2021 - Registration is now on for the 5^th annual Forsite Move Challenge, which will be bigger and better than ever with expanded participation throughout the entire state of Wisconsin and new challenge app features. This popular company vs. company step challenge, lasting the month of September, is an opportunity for organizations to support the physical and mental health of their employees, all while joining the community in friendly competition for a charitable cause. 100% of the team registration fees and donations will directly benefit this year’s charity partner, CP. 

Having resources, programs and policies that support employees' physical and mental health does not fall under the 'would be nice to have' category for current employees or job candidates. Such perks are sought after and necessary for long-term success. New data is showing that the effects of the pandemic remain a major concern. Individuals in the workplace, from all departments, continue to struggle.

• 41% of Americans report an adverse mental health condition, up from 11% in 2019, according to a recent study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

• The CDC projects an increase of 50% in prevalence of mental health and substance use disorder in the first 12 months post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Who Started the Move Challenge?

Forsite Benefits & Wellness launched the annual Move Challenge in 2017 to provide the Greater Green Bay and Fox Valley communities of Northeast Wisconsin a way to come together for a charitable cause. Today, the Move Challenge has welcomed over 100 teams, raised ~$45,000 for local charity, and has expanded participation to organizations throughout all of Wisconsin.

What is the Move Challenge?

Teams of 7+ employees from organizations throughout Wisconsin throw their hat in the ring to compete for the highest daily group step average and title of Move Champion. What does this honor bring your team? Bragging rights, pride, community exposure and recognition, that wonderful feeling when you give back, a personal growth experience, a trophy and so much more. 

Where Does the Move Challenge take place?

Throughout the remote Move Challenge 'race' experience, all challenge progress and team stats are tracked within the Motion Connected corporate wellness app! Team members take initiative to pick those steps up on their own or together. In the office halls, parking lot, or a nice scenic outdoor walk are just some of the places Move competitors got their feet shuffling to get more steps in their day. 

Forsite Benefits’ Facebook & LinkedIn pages also keep participants in the loop of challenge progress, and share details of mini contests and giveaways throughout the challenge duration.

When does the Move Challenge happen?

The ultimate company vs company step challenge fills the entire month of September each year. Registration is open in the summer months leading up to day one of the challenge, September 1. 

Why should anyone register for the Move Challenge?

For so many reasons. The most notable being;

• To raise funds for a local charity partner each year, funding resources that go right back into our community. 100% of the Move Challenge proceeds (registration fees, 10k club pledges, and additional donations) go directly to our beneficiaries. This year, our charity partner is CP.
  
• To introduce healthy lifestyle habits to our neighbors, employees, friends, family, and teammates, impacting overall population health and building healthier lifestyle habits that stick.
• To bring all of Wisconsin together for some community interaction, charitable giving, networking and FUN.

How can anyone join the Move Challenge?

It’s actually pretty simple. Your first step is locating a team captain. That team captain might even be you! No need to form your entire team before registering, simply register under the team captains name and build the rest of your team (7+ coworkers, family or friends) up to September 1. Following registration, you’ll be contacted by our charity partner and invoiced for your $250 team registration fee, AKA your generous donation to the Move Challenge’s cause. 

Each teammate will need to download the Motion Connected app on their smart phone, slap on their trusty step tracker (Garmin, Fitbit, Apple watch…) in preparation for September 1; the day our Motion Connected app will start counting your steps for a team average.

Forsite Benefits has built countless tangible and intangible benefits into each year’s Move Challenge experience that all participating companies can look forward to.

1.  Complimentary access to our wellness app, Motion Connected.

a.  For the 30 days that the Move Challenge takes place, each participating team will gain complimentary access to our fine-tuned corporate wellness solution.

2.  A month-long challenge, created and mediated for you.

a.  Challenges are a fun and effective way to improve lifestyle habits, but creating a challenge and mediating progress is no small feat. That is why our Forsite Benefits | Motion Connected team does the work for you.

3.  Mini contest and giveaways.

a.  Throughout the month-long challenge, Forsite Benefits will post weekly opportunities on social media to win prizes. Follow us on Facebook & LinkedIn! These prizes could be a pair of wireless earbuds, giftcards, wellness swag or a gift basket for the office.

4.  Additional opportunities to give back! 

a.  Have we mentioned the 10k club? If your team averages 10,000 steps a day or more, an additional $50 donation will be made in your name to this year's charity partner, CP. Plus, we’ll provide you some hardware proof to display in the office for your accomplishment.

5.  An outlet to form healthy lifestyle habits.

a.  6,000 steps a day. That is the needle-moving, magic number we love to see individuals achieve in order to make a noticeable difference in their overall health. 6,000 steps a day fights obesity, chronic disease, fatigue, depression, and so much more. The Move Challenge encourages one month of significant daily movement, to help form habits that lead to a healthier lifestyle. 

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to step up. Register your Move team today. 

(GREEN BAY, WI) June 15, 2020 – All Greater Green Bay and Fox Valley organizations are invited to compete in the 4th annual Move challenge created by Forsite Benefits of Green Bay. This popular company vs. company step challenge offers an outlet for organizations to build camaraderie among employees and the local community all while encouraging an active lifestyle. 100% of the team registration fees and donations will directly benefit this year’s local charity partner, CP.

How it works: The Move challenge is tracked using Forsite Benefits’ corporate wellness mobile app, Motion Connected. Participating individuals should acquire their own activity tracking device such as a Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Watch, or smart phone to sync to the app. Teams then track their average daily steps and compete against others racing to achieve the highest average daily step count.

Companies wishing to participate should register their teams at www.forsitebenefits.com/move beginning June 22 – August 14. The challenge will last the full month of September.

“Last year, we welcomed over 50 teams to participate in our month-long challenge, and raised over $14,000 for local charities. We are hopeful to see an even greater turnout this year,” said Graham Ness, COO & Partner of Forsite Benefits.. “It will be fun to see not only returning competitors aim to reclaim their champion title, but also new organizations join in on the fun and show our community what they are made of.”

Throughout the event, individuals and teams can win prizes by following @Forsitebenefits on Facebook & LinkedIn and entering weekly contests.

As an added bonus, if teams average 10,000+ steps during September, they will be welcomed into the 10k Club and Forsite Benefits will contribute a bonus donation to CP. To conclude the competition, the top 3 teams and the 10k Club members will be publicly recognized and celebrated with a closing ceremony.

“Once again this year, CP is very pleased to partner with Forsite Benefits and be the recipient of the proceeds from this year’s Move Challenge.” says Jon Syndergaard, Executive Director at CP. “The support last year was integral in continuing to provide critical services to the community. This year, given the unique challenges we all face, the financial support is particularly meaningful as we work to maintain our programs for those that are so deserving. Additionally, CP looks forward to competing effectively in the Move challenge itself! “

Alongside its charitable focus, the Move challenge encourages building healthier habits, an active lifestyle, and collaboration in the workplace. A participant of past Move challenges shared, “Things like this just simply motivate a person to stay active!”

Teams can register for the Move Challenge June 22nd through August 14th at www.forsitebenefits.com/move.

About Forsite Benefits: Forsite Benefits is the premier health and wellness employee benefit consulting team in Wisconsin. Our specialized expertise in employee benefit advisement has guided hundreds of clients to a clearer plan for their benefit package. We serve small and midsize businesses with comprehensive and progressive solutions focused on controlling health care costs.

About CP: CP is a non-profit organization, offering services and programming for physical, developmental and sensory conditions. CP reaches more than 2,100 infants, children and adults throughout Northeast Wisconsin every year at its locations Green Bay, Fox Cities and on the Lakeshore. Adult Day Services | Therapy Services | CP Early Education & Care | Aquatic Center.

(GREEN BAY and FOX VALLEY, Wis.) - The Annual Forsite Move Challenge, a community-wide step challenge, just wrapped up its third year. The challenge used a little healthy competition to motivate teams of coworkers to get active for a good cause. Since it launched in 2017 the Forsite Move challenge has raised $33,390 for local area charity partners. This year alone it raised over $14,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley Region, and CP, located in Green Bay.

“Each year we’re continued to be amazed at how the community steps up for this challenge,” said Graham Ness, Partner of Forsite Benefits & host of the challenge. “Between the Green Bay & Fox Valley communities We saw 51 teams made up of 1,117 individuals compete in September and walk their way to an impressive 340 million steps, the equivalent to approximately five times around the Earth.”

Teams tracked their steps during the month using Fitbit, Garmin and Apple Watch fitness trackers and monitored their teams progress on the leaderboard using Forsite’s online wellness portal, Motion Connected.

The steps tracked directly supported the charity partners, as Forsite Benefits challenged teams to hit an average of 10,000 steps per day, if they did, Forsite Benefits would donate an extra $50. 24 teams achieved this goal, raising an extra $1,200 dollars for CP and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

All the team’s accomplishments were celebrated during the award parties held at Badger State Brewing in Green Bay and Greene’s Pour House in Neenah.

In the Green Bay challenge, WBAY-TV Channel 2, was awarded the 2019 Champion, with an average of 18,223 steps per day. Zepnick Solutions, a third-year competitor, came in second place with an average of 16,717 steps per day. Fox Valley Metal Tech, another third-year challenge veteran, finished third with an average of 15,994 steps per day.

In Fox Valley, Tri City Glass & Door, was awarded the 2019 Champion with an average of 13,294 per day. YMCA of the Fox Cities came in second with 11,229 steps per day, and Valley Packaging, came in third with 10,943 steps per day.

All funds are raised for this challenge through the team’s registration fees. In Green Bay, 10,225 dollars was raised for CP, a non-profit organization, offering services and programming for physical, developmental and sensory conditions.

“CP has been in business for 66 years and we certainly couldn’t have had that longevity without the help from you, the community.” said Jon Syndergaard, Executive Director at CP, during Green Bay’s celebration event, “On behalf of the 2,100 families we touch annually, thank you all for stepping up.”

For the Fox Valley Challenge, 11 teams raised $4,200 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley Region, a 100 percent donor and volunteer supported nonprofit organization that provides children facing adversity with professionally supported, enduring one-to-one relationships that improve their lives for the better, forever.

Lindsay Fenlon, Executive Director from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley Region says, “support from individuals and companies in the Fox Valley helps to strengthen our ability to meet the needs of youth in our communities. We are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of all children and youth who just want a friend, and we thank Forsite Benefits, and everyone involved for their support.”

“Not only are these challenges great for getting more active and team building as an organization, it truly makes a difference in the communities we all work and live in.” said Graham Ness, Partner of Forsite Benefits. “We can’t wait to see what the communities can accomplish next year.”

If your organization is interested in participating in next year’s challenge, please visit www.forsitebenefits.com/move and subscribe to our emailing list.

About Forsite Benefits: Forsite Benefits is the premier health and wellness employee benefit consulting team in Wisconsin. Our specialized expertise in employee benefit advisement has guided hundreds of clients to a clearer plan for their benefit package. We serve small and midsize businesses with comprehensive and progressive solutions focused on controlling health care costs.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley Region: 100 percent donor and volunteer supported nonprofit organization that provides children facing adversity with professionally supported, enduring one-to-one relationships that improve their lives for the better, forever.

About CP: CP is a non-profit organization, offering services and programming for physical, developmental and sensory conditions. CP reaches more than 2,100 infants, children and adults throughout Northeast Wisconsin every year at its locations Green Bay, Fox Cities and on the Lakeshore. Adult Day Services | Therapy Services | CP Early Education & Care | Aquatic Center

BY MICHAEL TROUP, CEO OF FORSITE BENEFITS

Nurturing a strong team environment where employees are truly heard, understood and valued, is a core strategy of smart leadership. A well-functioning team not only enhances business effectiveness, but also the happiness and well-being of employees.

One proven approach to creating a more engaged team, is by giving coworkers the time and space to authentically bond and get to know each other outside of the day-to-day “grind.”

It’s our job as leaders to continuously find unique ways to create the space and opportunities for relationship growth. In this day in age, escape rooms and ropes courses often are the first to come to mind.

But I’m here to challenge you to think outside the box, and tie your team building to a different type of event: The Move Challenge, a community wide step challenge.

For the past two years, at my company, Forsite Benefits, we’ve witnessed what can happen when over 50 Greater Green Bay organizations combine physical activity with an intentional team focus and the ability to positively impact the communities we work, live and walk in.

Not only does this community company vs. company step challenge motivate employees beyond a typical one-day team building event, but it allows them to collaborate and celebrate with each other on a non-work related task.

This 30-day virtual initiative uses an online portal and activity trackers to erase the common team building barriers caused by multiple locations and different departments, and takes it to a place where you can come together and work towards common goals, like outstepping the competition, and raising funds for local area nonprofit.

Since launching this step challenge back in 2017, we’ve worked with the organizations to raise close to $20,000 for charities that impact the youth right here in the Greater Green Bay community.

It has also inspired healthy behavior change in employees’ personal lives and frankly, let them have a bit of fun:

• “I exercise very regularly nearly every morning but, thanks to the Move Greater Green Bay challenge, I have tried as I can to add some form of exercise in the evenings as well to help unwind after stressful days at work.”

• “Made a point this month to maintain at least 10K steps each day and I exceeded my goal. Without the challenge I wouldn't have forced myself to exercise every day for a month. There is something to be said about competing against others AND meeting a 10K step goal for our agency.”

• “Things like this just simply motivates a person to stay active!“

• “Keep moving, it makes you feel better and get better too!!”

• “More miles per day. It really pushed me. Very fun! I knew people from other teams.”

• “Really increased my activity this month and discussed with my team members easy ways to get more steps. I plan to keep steppin’ even though the challenge is done!”

This year we wanted to do more, and reach further, so we expanded the Move Challenge into the Fox Valley & Milwaukee areas alongside the Greater Green Bay area.

With your company’s support, we hope to raise $10,000 for each market. This year’s new local charity partners are CP, located in Green Bay, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fox Valley Region, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee. 100% of the $250 registration fee collected for the step challenge benefit these non-profit organizations.

Team registration is underway and runs through August 16th.

It’s time to showcase your company as leader in the community. Let’s boost your team camaraderie and positively impact your local non-profit. View the details and sign your organization up at: www.forsitebenefits.com/move

AT A GLANCE: Move Challenge (Fox Valley, Green Bay, Milwaukee)

• Teams can register at www.forsitebenefits.com/move
• Challenge duration: September 1st - September 30th.
• Minimum team registration fee: $250
• Teams must include a minimum of 7 coworkers. Spouses of coworkers are welcome to join.
• Individuals with Fitbit, Apple Watch, iPhone, or Garmin can use their device to track steps in the challenge, otherwise, discounted Fitbit & Garmin devices can be purchased through the thewellnessoutlet.com for challenge use.

(GREEN BAY, FOX VALLEY, MILWAUKEE, Wis.) – Forsite Benefits is excited to launch its third annual company vs. company step challenge, Move, running the entire month of September. This year’s challenge will benefit three Wisconsin charities. After two successful years in the Green Bay area, Forsite is expanding the challenge to the Fox Valley and Milwaukee areas in 2019.

This year’s new local charity partners are CP, located in Green Bay, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fox Valley Region, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee. 100% of the registration fees collected for the step challenge benefit these non-profit organizations.

“After raising almost $20,000 over the last two years from the Greater Green Bay Move Challenge alone, we’ve set a goal of raising $30,000 for this year,” said Graham Ness, Partner of Forsite Benefits. “We can’t wait to see how companies step up to the challenge and help us meet our goal for this year.”

Using wearable fitness trackers and Forsite’s online wellness portal, Motion Connected, participants will track their activity and compete against other teams based on an average number of daily steps for each team.

To keep motivation and camaraderie high, teams can also enter fun weekly challenges to win team prizes. As an added bonus, if teams average at least 10,000 steps during the month, Forsite Benefits will contribute a bonus donation to the charity partner and the team will be welcomed into the 10k Club. The top 3 overall teams and the 10k Club members will be publicly recognized at their region’s awards ceremony in October.

CP, is excited to be a first time partner for the challenge. “We’re thrilled to partner with Forsite Benefits for Move 2019,” said Jon Syndergaard, Executive Director at CP. “The challenge is a great way to get the community active in a fun way while supporting an area nonprofit. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Lindsay Fenlon, Executive Director from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley Region says that the Move challenge also sends a positive message. “It’s important for children to have good role models in their life,” Lindsay said. “When they see adults making healthy decisions it positively impacts the way they view health and activity. Not only are participants of this challenge helping raise money, but they’re also being role models in our community.”

In addition to its charitable focus, the Move challenge also encourages healthy lifestyles and collaboration in the workplace. One Past participant noted, “I made a point this month to maintain at least 10K steps each day and I exceeded my goal. Without the challenge I wouldn't have forced myself to exercise every day for a month. There is something to be said about competing against others AND meeting a 10K step goal for our agency.”

Teams can register for the Move Challenge June 27th through August 16th at www.forsitebenefits.com/move.

The $250 registration fee per team directly benefits the local charity partner for the region - CP or Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fox Valley Region and Metro Milwaukee.

Access to exclusively discounted fitness trackers can also be found on the registration page. In addition, the registration page includes answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the challenge.

This post was originally published in Green Bay Press Gazette

Move Greater Green Bay is a classic example of a win-win and a reason Northeast Wisconsin is an extraordinary place to live.

The results for the second year of the Move Greater Green Bay community step challenge are hard to argue with. With more teams participating, higher per team average step counts and more funds raised for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin (BBBSNEW), we accomplished our goal of getting people to move more, set a great example for youth and benefit a worthy cause.

At my company, Forsite Benefits, we hold a core belief that physical activity is a cornerstone to health and wellness. Numerous studies support this idea, and our hands-on experience consulting with businesses around the country solidifies this simple truth – movement is the best medicine.

So in 2017, a group of teammates at Forsite brainstormed an idea to use our online wellness platform in a new way. We’d invite companies to sponsor their own team, arm them with fitness trackers and facilitate a company versus company community step challenge.

We also designed this challenge to maximize contributions to our selected charity, BBBSNEW. Since September is National Childhood Obesity Month, and health is not only physical but mental and emotional too, we selected a cause that tackled those challenges. With our Forsite team absorbing all costs associated of the wellness and challenge platform, we were able to donate all team registration fees directly to our charitable partner.

BBBSNEW does incredible work in our community. The volunteer Bigs are literally changing futures, one child at a time, through professionally supported, one-to-one mentorship. I’ve had the honor of being on the Board of Directors for several years and have seen first-hand the adults and children who are positively changed forever by their connection.

The funds raised and donated through Move Greater Green Bay will go a long way to help recruit mentors for the 85 children on the waiting list.

To make an even bigger impact on our community, we introduced the Move 10k Club to this year’s challenge. Any team averaging 10,000 steps per day qualified and not only received recognition but also had the $250 registration fee matched by Prevea Health and Prevea360. Again, a true example of the win-win. Compared to last year, we saw the number of teams hitting that 10k mark nearly triple from eight teams to 21! Go Greater Green Bay!

Taking 10,000 steps a day is a popular goal because research has shown that, coupled with other healthy behaviors, it can lead to a decrease in chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.

So not only did we succeed by amping up the health impact of the challenge, but our impact on BBBSNEW nearly doubled with a $11,450 donation up from $7,500 last year.

Thank you Greater Green Bay for stepping up to the challenge. Let’s not let the momentum stop here. Stay physically and philanthropically active.

To learn more about how you can make a Big difference in a child’s life or donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters, visit www.bbbsnew.org.

Intersted in competing next years event? Visit www.forsitebenefits.com/move to sign up for our mailing list!