Ideas to Promote Wellness

Florence Township Holiday Bulletin Board

Check out Florence Township’s fun holiday themed bulletin board!  Something so simple can easily add holiday spirit to your workplace.  Office bulletin boards foster a sense of community and camaraderie among your co-workers, so change them up for each season or holiday!  Most bulletin board ideas are low cost and low effort, yet return great results. This easy activity offers a way for the office to connect, engage, and put a smile on everyone’s face.

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Beverly City Holiday Message Board

A  simple positive message written on a white board can set the tone for the whole day.  Let your employees share an inspiring affirmation or gratitude statement every day or week to share with the entire department.

Wishing you and your family a beautiful holiday season and may the new year bring new joys, new hopes and new beginnings that make you happy!

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Palmyra’s Grocery Bag Challenge and Breast Cancer Awareness Display

Palmyra is hosting a monthly “Grocery Bag” Challenge which started in October.  Naturally, creating a “Grocery Bag Pumpkin” was the first challenge.  Employees were encouraged to “carve” into their creative side and either decorate or create something with a pumpkin.

The pictures below show the bag with the contents for the challenge, some of the decorated pumpkins, and a fun carved pumpkin display with guacamole and chips.

Employees also shared recipes using pumpkin to be included in a new Palmyra Borough Employee Cookbook. One winner will be selected for each monthly challenge and can win a Portable Carry Grill.

Participating employees are asked to turn in their grocery bag at the end of the challenge to get next month’s challenge.  November’s challenge will be “Apple and Cinnamon.” There were 16 participants in this first round! Way to go Palmyra!

In addition, the Borough created a Breast Cancer Awareness display in their employee kitchen.  Every October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), a national campaign to raise awareness for this cause.  They distributed pink and black tote bags and a pink clip board. Employees only need to enter to win.

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Delanco Township Receives Their 1st Misfits Market Delivery

Delanco and Debby have been working closely with Misfits Markets to launch a first-time pilot program delivering organic “slightly imperfect” produce right to the municipality. This was done following the PO and Invoicing protocol that most municipalities must follow. When asked about the quality and satisfaction of their first delivery, Erin Provenzano commented:

“The quality is very good. Very fresh and really it is not misshapen or bruised or anything that you would think “misfits” would be. I feel like we got a lot for the price. All produce is organic so generally it seems a little pricier, but when you compare it to “in store” prices it was equal or better. I was able to split all the produce between three departments and I feel like we all received a good amount of everything. The selection was limited, because they only have “in season” products, which was fine. I only brought in fruit this time, but I may get veggies next time. Employees can take home items, it doesn’t necessarily need to be eaten here in the office.”

If you are interested in exploring this option for your own municipality, please reach out to Debby Schiffer, and she can share the procedures followed for Delanco Township. Sometimes being imperfect is perfectly delicious!

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Florence Township Summer Lovin’ Bulletin Board

Florence Township Wellness Committee posted this Summer Lovin’ bulletin board encouraging all employees to share what they love most about this time of year! Employees can write on a picture of  a sun and/or a fish what they love about summer and post it to the board. This will be up until Labor Day and a picture of the completed project will be shared at that time. What a great reminder for employees to plan fun activities with family and friends! It certainly brings a smile to your face! Thank you Karen Federico for sharing a great idea!

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Bordentown Township Implements New Fitness Efforts Using Wellness Funds

Bordentown Township is focusing on increasing their wellness efforts this year. After installing several standing desks in the Police Department, the Administration and Construction Departments are taking a stand for the wellness of their own employees!  Several employees have chosen to use the Standing Desks for their work station in their offices. This featured desk offers an opportunity to stand up to type or sit down when you decide. This promotes better circulation because it encourages the employee to move around. It is known for other health benefits such as improved posture, better brain function, and increases productivity! It further suggests that using this feature of standing to work, even for a short period of time, can produce weight loss, reduce back pain, lower blood pressure, lower sugar and cholesterol levels and the best reason of all it increases longer life expectancy and improves mental health. It certainly has been proved to aide in betterment of a person’s life, increasing overall health and happiness.

Way to “TAKE A STAND” Bordentown Township,  on behalf of your employees health and well-being!! 

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Bordentown Township Police Department – Standing Desks

The Police Chief of Bordentown Township invested in 3 standing desks for his Department.  Studies have proven that less sitting time results in more calories burned, reduced back pain and increased productivity.  According to Chief Pesce:

“These desks have been well-received by my staff and were very affordable and easy to assemble.  Their portability was also appealing as they can be moved and reinstalled at a new workspace in the event we move to a new PD.”

Nice job Bordentown Police Department!

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Hainesport Township Stays Creative Through COVID-19

Hainesport Township organized a fun Halloween Candy Corn Challenge. Employees were encouraged to guess the number of candy corns in the glass container. The winner received a gift card and everyone received a goody bag filled with an apple, spooky veggie straw shapes, spiced wafers, hand sanitizer, a Halloween word search and a Reeses cup.

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Delanco Township

Seems the message is getting out…and getting posted for all employees to see. Delanco Township just created their Safety & Wellness Bulletin Board as a means of communicating important information targeting the overall well-being and injury prevention for its municipal employees.

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Beverly City

Sometimes, all we need to do to generate positivity is start the momentum. One kind word or reflection can spark another. Beverly City Municipality learned this first-hand. By placing a white board just outside the Administration office, residents and employees took the opportunity to express their positive words. Nice job Beverly!

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Florence Township

November was National Gratitude Awareness Month. Many of the Florence Township employees added their “leaf” to the Gratitude Tree expressing what they were thankful for in their life. An overall feeling of increased happiness seemed to fill the office, even for those who did not participate in the writing. In our opinion,  the gratitude stemmed from co-workers participation in this fun activity that cultivates an environment of positivity among employees.

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Edgewater Park Township

Edgewater Park Township Police Department created a Gratitude Board to inspire staff as we approach the holiday season.  Employees can write what they are most thankful  for on small leaf shaped post-it notes.  The Thanksgiving holiday is a great reminder to take stock of the importance of gratitude – both giving and receiving it – in our lives.  Take advantage of this seasonal theme to give the topic the attention it deserves in your municipality. Way to go Edgewater Park PD!

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Palmyra Township

To bring awareness to Breast Cancer Month, Palmyra Township had a bit of fun to emphasize the seriousness of the topic. Paper bras were created from hearts left over from their “Heart Month” celebration. Employees wrote messages inspiring positivity as well as laughter. Examples included: “Fight Like a Girl,”  “Take Care of Second Base,”  “Make Sure Your Cups Have No Lumps (tea cups)” and the favorite was “A Feel a Day Keeps the Doctor Away.”

Breast cancer is a significant concern for every woman, and even men. But we also know that laughter, along with a positive attitude, are among the best forms of medicine. Thank you Palmyra for realizing that the power of our thoughts along with social support (in the workplace), can help us succeed in overcoming many of life’s challenges.

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Pemberton Township

This year’s Annual Pemberton Township Municipal Employee Health Fair kicked off with employees posting what they were grateful for. With an overwhelming amount of participants, Pemberton Township’s Wellness Coordinator, Michele Brown, was able to cover a large portion of their wall!  “I am so grateful the employees participated!” comments Michele. This was followed by an Employee Health Fair packed with vendors, flu shots, chair massages, Reflexology, and more!

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Delanco Township

Birthday celebrations are special!  And we’re all for birthday indulgences, but sometimes throwing caution (and nutrition) to the wind doesn’t make for the happiest of birthdays.  Delanco Township’s Wellness Champion made one employee’s celebration a healthy tribute!  Congratulations Delanco for remembering that longevity is built on healthy lifestyle habits.

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Florence Township

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Florence Township once again celebrates wellness with a twist.  On June 20th, Township employees observed  “Bring your dog to work” day, an opportunity for staff to bring their furry “kids” to the office.  Safety is always first with Florence Administration.  Dogs are known for being highly therapeutic forces in settings as diverse as hospitals and college campuses, so it makes sense that they could play a similar role in the workplace.  Dogs can improve an employee’s sense of well-being,  reduce stress, and create a greater work life balance.  Thank you Florence!

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Bordentown Township Police Department

The Bordentown Township Police Department (BTPD) has undertaken several initiatives to promote officers’ physical and emotional health. Another one of these initiatives recently took root when the PD accepted delivery of nineteen (19) Fitbit HR Inspire Fitness Trackers, purchased entirely with drug forfeiture monies, which were issued to officers in an effort to continue to explore new ways to improve our health and well-being.

With the use of these Fitbit devices, each officer will be able to track his or her steps taken, their active minutes, their sleep patterns, and very importantly, their heart rates. Police Officers are often exposed to high stress situations where heart rates frequently elevate so being able to manage these spikes and observe any possible underlying issues is a useful tool. The night shifts and long hours that officers work often creates concerns of fatigue and sleep deprivation so the ability to track sleep patterns is another important use for these devices. If an officer isn’t sleeping well, or experiencing a change in sleep patterns, the data gleaned from these devices will be helpful in making changes for improvement.

BTPD is also a very competitive police department. Being able to participate in daily, weekly, and monthly challenges that Fitbit has to offer, will motivate officers to take the initiative to be more active on a regular basis, while adding the competitive element of being able to view their co-workers steps along the way. This was exemplified last week when ten (10) officers took part in a five (5) day workweek hustle challenge and collectively achieved 832,450 steps!

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Chief Pesce of Bordentown Township launched a new initiative at the Bordentown Township Police Department.  He created a “Health and Wellness Corner” on a wall in the Police Department with valuable wellness information:

1. Implemented Captain Buscio Program at Deborah Hospital, the comprehensive cardiovascular and pulmonary medical evaluation free to first responders.  Chief Pesce provides everyone with four hours of compensatory time if they attend once a year on a day off.
2. Display photos of recent health and wellness events the Township participates in and information about upcoming events.  Currently, a St. Paddy’s Day 5k registration form is posted.
3. Display “Workout of the Month” provided by our department’s physical fitness instructor, Ptl. Edwards.
4. Display February BURLCO JIF Wellness newsletter.
5. Healthy Menu Options:  Officers often dine out and frequently fall into the same eating routine (Wawa, pizza, etc.)  Cheif Pesce encourages officers to seek out healthy menu options while eating out, and share those options via a photo and description on the board.  This will educate others about  healthy options offered by local establishments and hopefully encourage them to develop better eating habits.

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Florence Township

The first Friday of February has been designated National Wear Red Day.  On this day, men and women are encouraged to wear red as a symbol of their support of women’s heart health.  Great effort by Florence Township for actively participating in the American Heart Association’s national movement to end heart disease and stroke in women.  You can also click here to discover ways to prevent heart disease.

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Medford Township

In lieu of Halloween candy “tricking” their employees into unhealthy temptations, Medford Township’s Wellness Committee decided to “treat” all employees with a special door-to-door delivery of healthy snack baskets! Employees responded in a very favorable way.  Click on the picture to view all the healthy  treats.  Have a safe (and healthy) Halloween!

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Florence Township

Once again Florence Township brings wellness to the office! This time through supporting “Bring your dog to work day”. Observed always on the Friday following Father’s Day, this day allows employee’s who are dog owners to introduce their four-legged “best friend” to co-workers. This observance was launched to encourage adopting a pet. It was believed that after witnessing the human-animal bond at work, others may also want a companion. The employees of Florence shared laughter and dog stories, strengthened camaraderie (between both co-workers and pets alike) and experienced a wonderful stress reducer! Thank you Murphy, Levi, and Cooper for sharing your unconditional affection with the employees of Florence!

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Beverly City

The Beverly City Municipality posted a White Board just outside of their main office to encourage employees and residents alike to post positive messaging and to share ideas as they relate to wellness.

Here is a picture of a few residents’ posts already…one very young resident certainly seems to have her priorities right!  Positivity breeds positivity.  Pay it forward and see what happens.  Nice going Beverly City!

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Click on the links to learn more

• Curb Appeal…
• Move More BURLCO
• Toolkit: Random Acts of Kindness
• Wear Red Day & Random Acts of Kindness
• Healthy Choice Options for Snack and Vending Areas
• A Quiet Room…