Christine Fritz
Wellness Manager
On January 21, 2020, Wellness Champions from County work sites came together for their annual banquet at Manatee Community Foundation. Wellness Champions are volunteer employee advocates who promote a healthy work site environment by leading wellbeing challenges, coordinating classes and events, and providing encouragement and support to their co-workers. It requires imagination, persistence, energy, and patience. Each year, this group gets together for a meal and discussion about new ideas and activities to promote wellbeing at the worksite. The banquet focused on creating opportunities for team connection, employee appreciation and practicing healthy behaviors at the work site with presentations from Allison Minardi and Julie Drackett who represent the fitness area at Manatee YourChoice Health Plan.
Following the presentations, Christine Fritz, Wellness Manager, presented annual awards to four outstanding Wellness Champions, including Yvonne Gard and Elizabeth Thomas (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office), Molly White (GT Bray) and Kristi Hagen (Neighborhood Services), who won the top honor. All 4 did an exceptional job at promoting and coordinating activities relative to their work site and personnel, some of which included healthy challenges, wellness education, and on-site fitness.
Congratulations to the following four Wellness Champions, and a heartfelt thank you to all of our champions who work hard every day to promote wellbeing among their co-workers!
Kristi Hagen, Neighborhood Svcs
Wellness Champion of the Year 2019
Kristi was amazing at coming up with so many different initiatives that supported physical, nutritional, emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, financial, and environmental wellbeing. She worked hard to create connections for staff through activities and social emails. She kept me in the loop every step of the way and shared what she was doing along with educational materials and feedback she’d received. At one point I wondered if people thought the emails might be too much but from the end of year survey it was clear that was the best part for most!
Yvonne Gard and Elizabeth Thomas, MSO Ops Ctr
Wellness Champion Excellence Award 2019
Yvonne and Elizabeth took the ideas we shared at last year’s banquet and ran with it! They scheduled and facilitated events every month for the whole year, and offered opportunities for employees to provide feedback, which they shared with me. I was just really proud of how they were open to trying something new with their coworkers, were creative and actually had people that wanted to participate 😊.
Molly White, GT Bray
Wellness Champion Excellence Award 2019
Molly was so creative with her initiatives! So many were encouraged to participate - they began incorporating wellbeing initiatives into their day because of Molly’s events, emails, energy and attention. She too provided me with photos and updates throughout the year, and several positive testimonials.
Some ideas our Wellness Champions came up with include:
- Fitness Scavenger Hunt
- Brain Teasers
- Roaming Smiley Face Pins (when someone made your day or to thank someone for something).
- Walk & Talk
- Bubbles Day
- Walk to Minnesota (Team Steps tracking)
- “Healthier” Potluck
- Review restaurant menu for healthier options and discuss why
Thank you, Wellness Champions, for all of your hard work and creativity. We appreciate you!
If you have a Wellness Champion in your area, tell them THANK YOU!
Learn more about the Wellness Champion program or find your champion by clicking here.
Interested in becoming a Wellness Champion or incorporating “Wellbeing Days” at your work site? Contact Christine Fritz at Christine.fritz@mymanatee.org or 941.748.4501 x3967
