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!