fitness

Special Achievements at Special Olympics Illinois

On April 26, seven individuals supported by Rimland took part in the Special Olympics Illinois Area 18 track and field meet at Mount Prospect High School. Rimland’s entrants participated in either the softball throw, the 100 meter speed walk, or in both events. They displayed good sportsmanship and were proud to participate and place in both events, receiving gold, silver, and bronze medals. Congratulations to all participants!

New in February: The Employee Health and Wellness Initiative

On Wednesday, February 18, Rimland launched a new health and wellness program geared towards staff members. The goals of the Employee Health and Wellness Initiative are to offer and encourage healthy living options for all staff members and to enhance the benefits profile for Rimland employees. The program kickoff event took place onsite at Rimland, and included a representative from the diet and exercise program Clean, Burn and Shape, as well as representatives from LA Fitness, who offered gym memberships to all Rimland employees. Rimland covers the cost of the LA Fitness memberships as a benefit for employees, who can also add family members to the membership at an additional cost to the employee.

Rimland will continue to cover membership costs for as long as the membership is being used by the employee. To encourage participation, Rimland will award incentives for ongoing use of the memberships, such as wearable fitness trackers and bands, gift certificates for massages and manicures, and fitness apparel.

At the kickoff event, approximately 50% of the staff signed up for memberships, which may be used at any LA Fitness site in the Chicagoland area and include use of fitness and training equipment as well as participation in group fitness classes, such as yoga, aerobics, aqua fit, boxing, and dance.

For more information, staff members may contact Rimland administrative assistant Amy Werner, who is coordinating program participation.

Special thanks goes out to Rimland friend and family member Nina Yoo, who is a volunteer with the Health and Wellness Initiative and made initial contact with LA Fitness. Nina also engaged associates at Whole Foods Northbrook, who are partnering with Rimland to develop a healthful eating component of the Health and Wellness Initiative.

To this end, Whole Foods Northbrook has extended to Rimland employees an invitation to take a special tour of the store. As part of the tour, participants learn about the diet and health aspects of food products at Whole Foods and take part in a cooking demonstration of one or two easy, healthful recipes. Rimland is also exploring opportunities to partner with other stores that may offer discounts to Rimland employees on healthful food items.

Fitness and Community Engagement in February

During the month of February, our community activities highlighted Rimland’s greater focus on health and wellness. Each week, several clients have participated in private Zumba lessons at a local dance studio. Clients were able to learn several different dances, engage in hula hooping, and use exercise balls to emphasize fitness. Additionally, some clients visited Evanston’s Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center for sessions of basketball, football, and soccer. Rimland is continuing to make use of the YWCA’s private pool twice per month in order to give clients who may not be able to participate in our weekly swim time at the YMCA an opportunity to go swimming.

A February highlight was an exciting opportunity to attend a Chicago Wolves professional hockey game at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Several of Rimland’s clients enthusiastically supported the Wolves and enjoyed stadium food as a special lunch.