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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lynne Andrews
Marketing Expectations, Inc. (770) 886-5606 – office
(404) 784-5606 – cell
Lynne@marketingexpectations.com MEDIA ALERT: 26th Annual Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program Opens with First Captain’s Kickoff Event
WHAT: Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program (KPCRW) Captains Kick-Off Celebration – The first of three Captain’s Kickoff Informational Meetings brings together captains and co-captains heading up their corporate teams at the upcoming 2008 KPCRW 5K. The opening event will feature guest speakers, fitness tips, and food provided by the Park Tavern.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. WHERE: Park Tavern (corner of 10th and Monroe, adjacent to Piedmont Park) 500 10th St. NE Atlanta, GA 30309 WHO: Guest speakers will feature race founder and former Olympian Jeff Galloway and DAVE-FM’s radio personality Mara Davis as well as a host of this year’s team captains and KPCRW organizers.
BACKGROUND: The Captain’s Kickoffs serve as the opening events for each year’s Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program. The annual workplace-organized fitness event draws more than 17,000 participants from over 400 companies. From May to September, the program will engage an array of metro Atlanta businesses, civic groups, Chambers of Commerce, and executives in a celebration of health and corporate camaraderie. For more information or to register, please visit our website at
www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lynne Andrews
Marketing Expectations, Inc. (770) 886-5606 – office
(404) 784-5606 – cell
Lynne@marketingexpectations.com Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk Leads the Way for Corporate Wellness in Atlanta in 2008 Race Director Jeff Galloway, Cites Essential Employee Statistics Including 28% Reduction in Sick Leave in Companies with Wellness Programs Atlanta, GA (March 5, 2008) --- Complementary health approaches to employee wellness have clearly been a trend in the 21st century, particularly in the nation’s corporate sector, where fitness programs have been getting increased attention. According to
The American Journal of Preventative Medicine, “employers who invest in worksite health promotion programs can see a monetary return of $3-$6 for every dollar invested over a two-to-five year period. Documented savings are observed in medical costs, absenteeism, worker’s comp claims, short-term disability costs and loss of worker productivity due to employee health problems.”
The
Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program (KPCRW), now in its 26th year, is a year-round fitness program and 5K run/walk that focuses on keeping employees fit and healthy. KPCRW Race Director Jeff Galloway, first winner of the Peachtree Road Race and a U.S. Olympian (1969), is well aware of the current corporate statistics that support the need for workplace fitness initiatives. Anecdotal evidence and research on the cost-effectiveness of worker health indicate that the implications of worksite wellness programs are economically fruitful:
- 28% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
- 26% reduction in use of the health care benefit
- 30% reduced worker’s comp claims and disability management;
“These statistics send a strong message about the critical importance of having well employees,” said Galloway.
The 2008 Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk is scheduled for
Thursday,
September 25, 2008 at 7 p.m. and will be preceded with wellness events such as the ‘
Get Active Atlanta’ challenge, which runs from August 4 until the day of the race,
three Captains Kickoff events featuring guest speakers, a
Chamber of Commerce Fitness Challenge and weekly “fit tips” from Jeff Galloway via the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk web site at (
www.kpcorporaterunwalk.com).
Remaining true to ‘Thrive’ campaign currently underway by Kaiser Permanente of Georgia that emphasizes complementary health and wellness of the whole person, the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk fits easily into already-established wellness programs within companies of all sizes throughout metro-Atlanta. Immediately following the annual 5K (3.1 mile) Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk on Sept. 25, 2008, registrants participate in company picnics in what has popularly known as the
‘World’s Largest Office Party.” Last year, the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk drew more than 16,000 runners and walkers from across metro Atlanta, and culminated with a Celebration of Fitness that included: a Health & Fitness Expo (presented by Atlanta Sports & Fitness Magazine), a special performance by the Atlanta Drumline, awards presentation for top runners and a grand finale of fireworks that lit the night sky.
About the Kaiser-Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program The Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program is a unique workplace-organized fitness event that began in 1983 in Atlanta with 900 participants from a handful of companies. Designed to inspire fun, fitness and camaraderie among Atlanta’s corporate community, the annual event attracts more than 16,000 participants from 400-plus companies and is one of the largest workplace organized corporate fitness events in the Southeast. Event highlights of the 26th running event include an eight-week “Get Active Atlanta” training program, Chamber of Commerce Fitness Challenge, 5K run/walk, live music, awards ceremony, and hundreds of office picnics in downtown Atlanta, adjacent to Turner Field.
About Kaiser Permanente of Georgia Kaiser Permanente is the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plan, with more than eight million members in Northern and Southern California, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Georgia, Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic states. Kaiser Permanente of Georgia is the state’s largest non-profit health plan, providing health care services to approximately 280,000 members through 13 medical facilities in metro-Atlanta and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians.
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American Journal of Preventative Medicine (2005)
“Larry Chapman’s 2003 article, ‘Meta-Evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies,’ from
The American Journal of Health Promotion 
