Five years ago the Glastonbury Chamber declared itself the ‘Healthiest Chamber in Connecticut.’ Since then, they have been engaged in a variety of different health & wellness initiatives. Back in 2007 when the words ‘health and wellness’ were not household words as they are today, the Glastonbury Chamber was embarking on a health and wellness journey that continues to evolve.
The mission of the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce Living Well in Glastonbury© initiative is for member companies to experience the benefits of offering an ongoing program of wellness for their employees that encompasses moving, eating and thinking well. What started as a small lunchtime walking group in May of 2007, has now grown into a comprehensive program to equip members of the Glastonbury Chamber to become the healthiest business community in the State of Connecticut.
The award-winning Living Well in Glastonbury© program was developed by the Chamber’s Health & Wellness Council comprised of over 60 Chamber members with a strong interest and/or expertise in wellness. The members are not only people who work in the health and wellness field such as doctors and fitness trainers, and but also members who have a keen interest in health and wellness regardless of their business. For example, the Council Chair, Atty. Joe Jaconetta, is an Ironman tri-athlete and is involved due to his strong commitment to health and wellness. With over 10% of its membership involved, this is the largest committee of the Chamber and often the most compelling reason new members join the Chamber.
The Living Well in Glastonbury© program was initially developed based on the concept that wellness is comprised of three categories: “eating well” (nutrition), “moving well” (exercise) and “thinking well” (mental well-being and behavior modification). The mission of the program was to create opportunities for Chamber members to incorporate more health and fitness into their day-to-day lives so that they can enjoy all the benefits offered by a wellness-oriented lifestyle. Not only is health and wellness currently an important topic for U.S. society in general, but focusing on this issue in the workplace can translate into enhanced productivity, reduced absenteeism and lower health costs for local businesses. This initiative was the first in the State of Connecticut by a Chamber of Commerce and has been replicated by many others.
The Health and Wellness Council meets monthly to develop programs to support their initiative. Over the past 5 years, the Council has hosted many of their own events such as a Fitness Festivals, Fitness at the Fountain, weight-loss incentive programs, walking groups, nutrition workshops, fitness challenges, lunch & learns, road races and the upcoming Glastonbury Wellness Expo on May 5th. The Chamber encourages teamwork by supporting member’s events such as the March of Dimes’ March for Babies and the Lung Association Stair Climb by creating teams to participate in these events.
In 2011, the Council developed a new member benefit called “Living Well/Working Well Advantage” which is a comprehensive tool kit for employers to implement their own health and wellness initiative. The tool kit includes everything from waivers, program and incentive ideas, healthy meeting guidelines, speakers bureau and screening resources. It essentially contains everything that is needed to implement a program to provide wellness awareness in the workplace at virtually no cost to the employer. Employers are encouraged to identify a “Wellness Champion” who may participate and be supported by the 60-member Wellness Council.
Most recently, the Chamber started a volleyball league with 6 teams of 8 players. It offers members an opportunity to connect with others outside of the typical networking events while also getting some exercise. This year, the Glastonbury Chamber Paddlers will have two boats in Hartford’s Asian Festival Dragon Boat Races. In the past the Chamber has also had an active golf league and kickball team.
Join the Living Well in Glastonbury group on
Learn more about our Wellness Champion program
Check out our Healthy Meeting Guidelines