This past Saturday, March 10, Nordic senior consultants Keith Brick and Dan Mau took to the trails of Bidwell Park in Chico, California, to help raise money for Heart & Sole: Run for Wellness, the fourth annual activity to benefit Enloe Medical Center's cardiovascular care program. We sat down with Keith Brick to understand a little more about the program, how heart disease affects the community of Chico, and why this kind of philanthropy is important to him as a Nordic consultant.
Q. Could you tell us a little bit about the Heart & Sole: Run for Wellness?
Keith: This is a fundraising event put on by the Enloe Foundation, the non-profit arm of Enloe Medical Center that supports a lot of efforts to promote wellness in the community. Butte County (where Chico is located) experiences double the rate of heart disease that the rest of California experiences, so this event is intended to encourage everyone to get outdoors, participate in community fundraising and education, and get some exercise.
The funds for this year's run are going to Enloe Medical Center's new Cardiovascular Care Center.
Q. How did Nordic participate in the event this year?
Keith: Dan, our on-site lead as well as project manager over Cupid, Radiant, and Beaker, works closely with Enloe stakeholders, who are very invested in this project. We decided to partner together to raise money for the event, as well as compete against the other teams that were running from Enloe.
There were all sorts of Enloe people at the race, so we were racing against folks from executive leadership and competing with them to raise funds to help the community. I am passionate about looking for more opportunities for our consulting teams and especially our on-site leads to coordinate with our clients in a way that matches our shared goals. When we have shared values, I think we should look at that overlap and target them for opportunities.
Q: What was the atmosphere like at the event?
Keith: It's a very inclusive atmosphere. There were kids from a few months old all the way up to 90-year-olds, all running and walking in the different events. There is a one-mile walk and a 5K run in Bidwell Park, which is the big community park right in downtown Chico.
Everyone from all across town was there. Enloe Medical Center is a major employer in Chico, and everyone recognizes the FlightCare helicopter, which has saved thousands of lives in our community and across the region. Looking around, I saw cardiologists, executive leadership in their sneakers, everyone holding pompoms to cheer on the runners. One of the members of the Enloe executive team actually ran a Zumba class to warm us up for the run.
There were also a lot of strollers on the path, as well as little kids running the 5K and doing surprisingly well. I was beaten by a 10-year-old. It was a lot of fun to see everyone focusing on something that matters.
Q. What kind of education was provided around cardiovascular health and heart disease?
Keith: Every quarter-mile or so along the path, there were health and wellness tips about how you can improve your health. It was everything from being aware of your body's needs to using meditation to improve your health and mental performance to getting out and walking.
For example, they talked about how just getting out and walking is as beneficial to the heart as going for a jog, and you can walk without the same impact on your body as running. They do a really good job of making this type of exercise accessible. It's totally free, the community park is open, and we have people from all walks of life who are there to participate and enjoy the benefits of the park.
Q. Why is this kind of work important to you as a Nordic consultant?
Keith: The overlap between Nordic's values and the Enloe Foundation's values is exactly where, as an onsite lead, I want to focus my attention and the attention of my team. I want to embrace the culture and positive aspects of the communities we serve and help support them, not just from the standpoint of our role, but as members of the community. I'm here a little over half the time, and if I can help the town, that's a great opportunity to help everyone be healthier and happier.
