Piggyback programs to national observances

•A resource-friendly approach to building a diverse wellness program is to piggyback onto a national or regional “observance.” Well-known examples are Heart Month in February and Active Aging Week, held over the last week of September. An observance is a day, week or month that publicizes a special interest or group of people, such as health (stop smoking or high blood pressure awareness week), physical activity (yoga day) or older adults (Older Americans Month). Some events might combine all of these, as in Active Aging Week.

There are a number of advantages to personalizing observances to fit into your programs. The designated days, weeks or months fit into the dimensions of wellness. Often the sponsoring organizations provide support materials that can be downloaded for free, or ordered for free or at a nominal rate. You can use these resources to jump start the program planning with themes, handouts and images ready to use.