From the Bus Line to the Starting Line: HART Runs the Gasparilla Distance Classic

Team HART at the PGDC on Saturday!

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is much easier when you have support, which usually comes in the form of friends and family. However, HART is taking on the role of supporter, motivator and encourager when it comes to employees and their health.

Nearly 50 HART employees participated in different race events during this year’s Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic (PGDC) last weekend.

HART employees who participated in last weekend’s PGDC ranged from every level of the organization, including senior level leadership. All these wonderful employees have a special story to share of how their lives have been transformed as a result of the health and wellness tools and opportunities afforded to them as HART employees.

HART takes their employees’ health seriously and a few years back implemented an agency-wide wellness program to both challenge and reward those individuals who adopt healthy habits.

As part of the HART Wellness Program, the agency works to bring employees together and engage in becoming healthier and happier at work and home. It annually provides opportunities for employees to earn wellness incentives through participation in wellness-related activities, such as the PGDC, with the purpose of recognizing and rewarding active employees who practice healthy behaviors and those who wish to make improvements.  Activities such as wellness exams, biometric screenings, health risk assessments and tracking physical activity, can earn an employee up to 4,000 points to purchase items in the "wellness store" in October.

HART CAO Kenyatta Lee participating in the PGDC

One reason employees may be embracing the wellness culture is the support received from the top. HART Chief Administrative Officer Kenyatta Lee encourages employees to participate in the wellness program with this message:

“Take the time to invest in your health, both physical and mental, enjoy the benefits that well-being will provide you…You are the lifeline of this company, and with your well-being, HART will enjoy healthy growth as well.”

The authority’s efforts are leading the way to make their employees and the Hillsborough County community healthier.