Three UNMC employees were recently recognized for making healthy lifestyle changes or providing leadership to make wellness for employees a top priority in their organization.
Allen Olson, Terry O’Callaghan and Christy Williams received the William M. Kizer, the Light of Wellness Award during the Nov. 14 Wellness Council of the Midlands (WELCOM) dinner. The award, named after the WELCOM founder, is given to nine individuals from WELCOM member companies who embody the true spirit of leading a healthy lifestyle.
“We’re always talking about the impact wellness has on the bottom line for organizations,” said WELCOM Executive Director Howie Halperin. “This award recognizes those people who are true role models for health and well-being at their companies.”
Terry O’Callaghan
Terry O’Callaghan’s metamorphosis began after visiting his physician and discovering he had several risk factors leading to a shorter life. The associate director of ITS-CST Telecommunications wanted to see his two daughters grow up, so he began to exercise and eat healthier. He started by walking on his lunch hour and has worked his way up to running at least 5 miles every day. With a weight loss of more than 100 pounds, O’Callaghan was proud to complete his first road race “Race for the Cure” in October of 2001. He continually motivates and gives encouragement to co-workers as well as others at the Center for Healthy Living (CFHL).
Allen Olson
A ride in an ambulance after suffering a heart attack transformed Allen Olson’s life and gave him the motivation to make lasting lifestyle changes. After Cardiac Rehab, Olson, manager of UNMC’s Printing Services, began working out at the Center for Healthy Living, met with a UNMC fitness trainer and had a fitness program designed to meet his needs and goals. Starting out slowly, Olson now completes 3 miles on the treadmill in just over an hour and he continues his resistive training. Olson has lost more than 40 pounds during the last year and plans to lose another 20 pounds. He has more energy than ever-before and is a constant inspiration to other early-morning CFHL members and staff.
Christy Williams
Two years ago, Christy Williams, an administrative assistant at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, and other MMI employees decided to start a Weight Watcher’s program. During the past several years, Williams has lost 85 pounds. She also encouraged MMI administrators to put in a small workout room. During her lunch breaks, Williams and her walking group walk around the medical center. Williams is a great example, a true leader, and the results show in her significant weight loss and increased muscle tone.
Olympic champion gave keynote
Rulon Gardner, an American sports hero after winning a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, served as the keynote speaker at the event. A 1996 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Gardner won his gold medal by upsetting Aleksandr Karelin, a legendary Greco-Roman wrestler who had never been defeated in international wrestling competition. Gardner’s speech recounted his inspirational Olympic performance and how he survived 17 hours in sub-freezing temperatures while snowmobiling in the mountains outside his home in Afton, Wyo. His stories are evidence, he said, of what the human spirit can accomplish through hard work, dedication and support from loved ones.