Wellness Campaign receives Cummings Foundation “$100K for 100” Grant

Woburn, Massachusetts, June 6, 2017 -- WellnessCampaign.org, a Woburn non-profit organization dedicated to helping people make sustainable changes in their health, today announced that it will receive a $100,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation through its “$100K for 100” program.
Wellness Campaign will use the grant to establish a free wellness and weight loss program for the employees of the City of Woburn, building on the organization’s impressive track record with successful programs in five Massachusetts family medicine practices (Arlington, Woburn, Bourne, Framingham, and Lee).
“We’re thrilled to make this program available to the employees of the city of Woburn,” said Dr. Wayne Altman, cofounder and medical director of Wellness Campaign.” Our existing participants have transformed their lives through sustainable habits -- now we can extend the program to hundreds of new people through Wellness Campaign groups in Woburn.” Dr. Altman is Professor and Vice-Chair of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Wellness Campaign programs use a unique Group Learning and Accountability Model in which participants learn healthy habits and lifestyles choices and support each other through email and in-person meetings. The 20-week program has impressive and sustainable results; as described in an upcoming research paper, 69% of those who lost significant weight kept most of the weight off a year after the program.
“We’re grateful for the grant, which will allow us to build a new, scalable model for wellness over the next three years,” said Kerri Hawkins, a registered dietitian and personal trainer who is the organization’s program director and cofounder. “Starting in the fall of 2017, we will be training a new set of volunteer leaders, who will subsequently run groups for employees in Woburn. I’m hopeful that this program will grow and further develop a culture of wellness in the community.” Hawkins is a former President of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association.
The grant is part of the Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for $100” program, which each year distributes 100 grants of $100,000 each to nonprofit organizations serving people in Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts. As recently described in a front-page article in the Boston Globe, the Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where its affiliate Cummings Properties owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed at no cost to the Foundation. A complete list of all 100 grant winners for 2017 is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $170 million to local nonprofits.
ABOUT WELLNESS CAMPAIGN
Wellness Campaign has been running groups for people struggling with weight loss and weight-related chronic disease since 2009. About 200 people in its groups have lost over 4,000 pounds, and have kept most of the weight off. The organization’s Group Learning and Accountability Model empowers people to accomplish long-term behavioral change. Wellness Campaign aims to empower as many people as possible to make sustainable and positive changes in their health. Additional information is available at www.WellnessCampaign.org.
ABOUT CUMMINGS FOUNDATION
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester. With assets exceeding $1.4 billion, it is one of the largest foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including two New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date was $50 million to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information contact:
Josh Bernoff
CEO, WellnessCampaign.org
+1.617.513.3166
jbernoff@gmail.com