Fitness fete welcomes cityful of employees
Annual event draws thousands of local workers
Every May, National Employee Health & Fitness Day gives companies across the country the opportunity to put a special focus on health for their employees. But in Omaha, NE, it’s the chance for a few civic-minded employers to throw their annual "wellness party" for the whole town.
"We get between 2,000 and 2,500 employees," says Debra Parsow, ACSM, fitness program coordinator for ConAgra, an Omaha diversified food company.
The program, held in a downtown park, now has about 40 local vendors exhibiting their products or services, from soy companies to local hospitals; from sports medicine practices to local fitness equipment retailers.
The program, which is free for all local employees, contains "everything we can think of that might be health-related," says Parsow. "We try to cover all aspects of work and family issues."
The event also has a number of organized activities, such as volleyball leagues and dance demonstrations, and many employees walk a great distance to get there. Healthy food and sack lunches are also provided, and every employee who walks through the park is given a bag of health-related information. It starts at 11 a.m. and runs to 1 p.m.
A modest start
Today, 14 companies provide some level of sponsorship for the program, with ConAgra, Union Pacific, First National Bank of Omaha, and US WEST serving as major sponsors. But it wasn’t always that way.
"About nine years ago, I started the program along with a colleague from First Tier, a local bank," Parsow recalls. "We both had corporate exercise and incentive programs, such as walking clubs, and we wanted to try and merge the two groups so all our employees could find exercise partners."
The first year, the organizers had everyone walk to a local park adjacent to ConAgra’s headquarters.
"We sat and listened to some local officials, like the mayor, and some fitness-related speakers. We were excited if we got 200 people," says Parsow.
How did it branch out into the major health expo it became?
"A lot of employers took a look at participating because they read about it in the local paper," says Parsow. "They knew they couldn’t afford to do something like this themselves, but they certainly could afford this."
The only cost, she explains, is a rental fee for the park, which comes out to $20 a company with the current 14 sponsors. "And for this, you provide a valuable service to hundreds of employees." US WEST provides the exhibit tables for free.
Variety of resources
Economies of scale are certainly a big draw, and also create a more successful event, notes Dawn Obermiller, MA, ACSM. Obermiller, who works for the health promotion consulting firm HEALTHBREAK, serves as fitness program director for both US WEST and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha.
"As a group of companies getting together, we are able to increase the size and strength of what we can do; and by drawing upon a variety of resources, we can make it a really fun event," she says.
"The committee itself has worked together to expand the program and to make it something people still want to come down to," she adds. "Each year, we try to find new vendors to hone in on; this year, for example, we’re adding magnetic therapy. We try to hit every area of wellness."
Obermiller points out the wide variety of educational opportunities for employees.
"We have back screening from a chiropractic point of view; stress management services from a local hospital; all kinds of first aid, burn treatment education, blood pressure testing from the American Red Cross, blood sugar testing from the American Diabetic Association, and glaucoma testing."
"There are fun things too," says Obermiller. "Golf USA puts up a practice net; there are lots of opportunities to try out fitness equipment; country line dancers, exercise, self-defense and aerobics demonstrations; chair massages — and lots of food!"
For both of her employee groups, there is an added fitness benefit.
"The US WEST employees have to walk a two-mile loop over their lunch hour, and the Corps has to walk even further, just to get to the park and back," she says. "But that’s part of the whole event — to get them active on a fitness type of day."
Smaller companies are inspired
One local company felt participation was so valuable that when it relocated far away from the park, it decided to start its own program.
"We participated for six years," says Dan Palmquist, who is in charge of business development at Bell Federal Credit Union, a company with about 130 employees. "We usually got participation from at least 50% of our employees."
However, Bell Federal has moved to the other end of town.
"So, we’ve done it on our own at West Omaha," he says. "We encourage employees to take a walk on their breaks; and we offer prizes like sports bags and water bottles if they walk a certain distance. We also offer fruit and other healthy food for the day. In other words, we’re trying to re- create [the big program] on our own."
Of course, he admits, nothing can replace the huge event downtown — which he says has benefited all Omaha employees.
"It takes the larger companies to kind of lead the way in this type of event and make it possible and successful," he says. "It’s a great thing for the city."
Sources
• Dawn Obermiller, US WEST, 1314 Douglas St., Omaha, NE 68102. Telephone: (402) 422-3564.
• Dan Palmquist, Bell Federal Credit Union, 11718 M Circle, Omaha, NE 68137. Telephone: (402) 758-6521.
• Debra Parsow, ConAgra Inc., One ConAgra Drive CC115, Omaha, NE 68102. Telephone: (402) 595-4046. E-mail: [email protected].
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