JAMES H. DOUGLAS
GOVERNOR

State of Vermont
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2006
PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Janet Franz, Council Vice Chair
wordsmithproductions@earthlink.net
(802) 985-9929, cell (802) 238-8182

Event: 2007 Vermont Awards for Work Site Wellness, Physical Fitness & Sports Date: May 17, 2007 Time: 1:30-4:30 p.m. Place: Pavilion Auditorium, 109 State Street, Montpelier

Event: 24th annual Corporate Cup Challenge and State Agency Race: Date: May 17, 2007 Time: 6:00 p.m. Place: Statehouse Lawn, Montpelier

Employers Help Vermonters Become Fit and Healthy

Governor Douglas To Honor Work Sites May 17

Montpelier — Employers throughout Vermont actively support their employees' physical fitness with free gym memberships, smoking cessation programs and blood pressure screenings at work. They encourage their staffs to commute by bicycle, participate in yoga classes on their work breaks and reduce their body mass index. On May 17, 42 of these employers will receive honors from Governor Jim Douglas and the Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Awards also will also go to six individuals who shine in encouraging their fellow citizens to participate in sports and make health and fitness a personal priority.

The 13th annual Vermont Awards for Work Site Wellness, Physical Fitness and Sports will honor people and programs that help contain health care costs and promote healthy behavior and disease prevention. Fitness professionals and managers at construction companies, manufacturers, colleges, public schools, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, small offices and large corporations will receive a certificate and a handshake from the Governor.

The awards encourage the private sector to develop initiatives that foster physical fitness and to share their best practices with their business colleagues. Each year more work sites apply for the awards, reflecting a trend in human resources management to empower workers to take personal responsibility for their health on and off the job.

"Physically fit employees are more productive, happier and emotionally invested in what they do for a living. We all benefit when the people who bring us goods and services are healthy and feel good," said Evelyn Sikorski, 2007 Council Chair.

The Governor and the council present the awards on National Employee Health and Fitness Day, the third week each May. Administered annually by the National Association for Health & Fitness, the daylong celebration was created in 1989 to promote the benefits of physical activity for individuals through their work site health promotions activities.

As part of the Employee Health and Fitness Day celebration in Vermont, the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports also hosts the Corporate Cup Challenge and State Agency Race, a team-based running and walking event for employees of businesses, government and nonprofit agencies. The race begins after the awards ceremony, at 6:00 p.m. on the statehouse lawn.

The public may attend the awards event and observe the Corporate Cup Challenge and State Agency Race at no cost. For reservations or more information, contact Council Vice Chair Janet Franz at (802) 985-9929 or wordsmithproductions@earthlink.net.

The Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is a physical activity promotion and advocacy group, comprised of volunteers appointed by the Governor to represent a broad spectrum of Vermonters. The Council's mission is to promote wellness through physical activity for people of all fitness and ability levels.