Melding fitness with charitable work

CEO (or equivalent): Marc Perlman, CEO and presidentNumber of employees: 2,300
CEO (or equivalent): Marc Perlman, CEO and presidentNumber of employees: 2,300

Ocean State Job Lot began preparing a year ago to create an employee wellness program with a logical first step: It asked its employees what they wanted from such a program.

The employees’ reply was directly in line with the company’s ethos of philanthropy, said Bob Selle, chief human resources officer. They suggested starting out by doing group fundraising walks for worthy charities.

Employees “said they wanted to give back to their communities and still work on their health,” said Selle.

Under a fledgling program branded “Choose Well,” Ocean State became a presenting sponsor of the Purple Stride Walk for pancreatic cancer research. Fifty employees took the walk in May 2016, raising more than $75,000.

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In addition, Selle said, “Giving yourself for a cause plays into your mental well-being.”

Next up: more fundraising walks, healthy cooking demos and store-to-store activity competitions. •

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