Calvin News

Calvin College is considered one of the state’s Best and Brightest when it comes to Wellness. The Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) is celebrating Calvin as one of 61 companies statewide who make their workplaces, their employees and the community a healthier place to live and work.

The Best and Brightest in Wellness winners were evaluated by using the WellCompanies assessment, created and administered by Wellco, the nation’s leading wellness systems firm. WellCo scored organizations in the following areas related to worksite wellness: policies, environment, leadership, awareness and motivation, assessment and intervention, incentives and integration, measurement and health care cost.

“Having a healthy and happy workforce leads to a healthy company bottom line. This year’s winning companies represent high standards and an exceptional commitment to healthy employees, healthy families and a healthy community,” said Jennifer Kluge, MBPA/Michigan Food and Beverage Association president and CEO.

Calvin College is one of 20 companies of 500 or more employees being recognized and is one of just two colleges receiving the honor (the other being North Central Michigan College).

Roy Zuidema, director of campus wellness at Calvin College, says his Healthy Habits team has worked hard to offer Calvin employees and their spouses a robust and successful wellness program.

“Our goal has always been to create a supportive and encouraging atmosphere for the pursuit of wellness goals from a Christian perspective … and I think that we have done that at Calvin,” said Zuidema. “It is an honor to be recognized by Best and Brightest Companies for our wellness initiatives.”

Calvin has provided its employees with the tools, including exercise classes, health challenges, educational seminars, personal training, massage, health screenings and sports and recreational activities. The college also provides its employees with free access to state-of-the-art facilities, including an Olympic-sized pool, an indoor track and tennis courts, and 15,000 square feet of fitness center space.

College administrators have also placed a high value on wellness—providing employees with a half hour of paid time twice per week to participate in wellness-related activities; offering cash incentives for employees who participate in the Healthy Habits programs; and they even included a goal to “enhance employee wellness” on the college’s last strategic plan.

“Calvin has so many opportunities for achieving healthy successes that it is difficult not to notice the positive impact on our culture,” said Tanya Bulthuis, a staff member at the college and an ambassador for the Healthy Habits program. “Healthy Habits support and the camaraderie of co-workers striving to achieve similar health goals has been a great motivator for me to live a healthy lifestyle.”

Calvin will be honored at a breakfast celebration and symposium on Thursday, Oct. 3 in Livonia, Mich. The college will also be included in Corp! Magazine’s October/November 2013 special wellness feature.