Let’s Get Movin’ & New Balance Foundation 5K for Fitness promoted healthy lifestyles through physical activity and nutrition education
BOSTON, MA (June 11, 2024) – NeighborHealth, formerly East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Let’s Get Movin’ program, in partnership with the New Balance Foundation, hosted its annual 5K for Fitness event on Saturday, June 8th, 2024, at East Boston’s Memorial Park. The event – the first to take place under the health center’s new name – brought together more than 700 people, including over 570 runners, to celebrate and promote healthy living through physical activity and nutrition education.
“I love seeing our community come together to celebrate fitness, physical activity and healthy eating at the Let’s Get Movin’ 5K,” said NeighborHealth President and CEO Greg Wilmot. “Staying healthy is more than not feeling sick, it’s about feeling well, and I can’t think of a better example of an event that keeps our community connected and supported in living a full and flourishing life.”
The race day schedule included “day of” registration followed by a warmup led by the Let’s Get Movin’ team with refreshments and live music following the event. The first 200 registrants received free t-shirts, and all finishers were awarded medals. The top finishers in each age category were also recognized with special awards concluding the event. More than a dozen community organizations joined the festivities to share resources.
Let’s Get Movin’ is a lifestyle-change program for children and teens that promotes physical activity, teaches proper nutrition, and helps young people make healthier lifestyle choices. The program was developed in response to the national epidemic of childhood obesity and its impact on the local community. Built on three main components – medical monitoring, physical activity, and nutrition education – Let’s Get Movin’ offers training sessions, after-school and summer programs, field trips, community events, cooking classes, and educational activities for adults who want to learn more about supporting their children’s healthier lifestyles.
NeighborHealth would like to thank our generous sponsors, in addition to the New Balance Foundation, for supporting this event: 261 Fearless, isgenuity, Air Cargo Club of New England, Planet Fitness, Citius Printers, the YMCA, Globos y Fiestas, FJ Juice Bar Café, Boston Children’s Museum, MaryEllen Welch Greenway, Entravision and Rumba 97.7, an iHeartMedia station.
About NeighborHealthNeighborHealth, formerly East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, is one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, serving over 120,000 people and recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a National Quality Leader. For more than 50 years, NeighborHealth has offered access to comprehensive primary care, specialty care and emergency care for patients in the Commonwealth.
In a first-of-its-kind merger in 2020, NeighborHealth joined forces with the South End Community Health Center and expanded services to patients who live and work in Boston’s South End and Roxbury neighborhoods.
NeighborHealth champions innovative care models to actively bridge health equity gaps in our low-income and immigrant communities with services unique from other health care providers in our state. In addition to primary and specialty care, NeighborHealth operates Massachusetts’ only satellite Emergency Department, which is the fourth busiest ED in Boston and is co-located with advanced radiology, including CT scan services, same-day Behavioral Health Urgent Care and an integrated pharmacy. Today, NeighborHealth remains dedicated to promoting and sustaining healthy communities, families, and individuals both in and out of the exam room by providing accessible, person-centered, compassionate, and high-quality health care services. For more information, visit www.neighborhealth.com
