Press: NuStep Announces 2009 Pinnacle Award Winners
September 4, 2008
ANN ARBOR, MI - NuStep, Inc., the maker of the NuStep TRS 4000 Recumbent Cross Trainer, announced today that San Joaquin Gardens of Fresno, Calif. and Senior Center, Inc. of Charlottesville, Va. are the winners of the 2009 Pinnacle Award.
Now in its 11th year, NuStep’s Pinnacle Award recognizes outstanding whole-person wellness programs in senior living communities and senior centers. By embracing and integrating the six dimensions of wellness – physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and vocational – into their programs, environments, and services, these winning organizations enrich and enhance the lives of their residents and members.
“San Joaquin Gardens and the Senior Center Inc. have done a remarkable job of integrating a culture of whole-person wellness throughout their organizations,” said Steve Sarns, vice president of sales and marketing for NuStep. “Their dedication and commitment to providing programs for successful aging make them models for other organizations around the nation.”
The winners receive a T5XR NuStep Recumbent Cross Trainer for their facility; the Pinnacle Award trophy – presented onsite by Sarns; national recognition for the organization and their team; and exposure in national industry publications. In addition, a representative from the winning organizations will receive airfare and a two-night hotel stay for the 2008 American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) conference held October 13 – 15 in Philadelphia, PA.
About the Winners
San Joaquin Gardens - Fresno, California
San Joaquin Gardens, a continuing care retirement community in Fresno, Calif., uses the term “healthy living” to describe its culture of aging successfully through a whole-person wellness approach. The community, which is owned and operated by American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW), is the Pinnacle Award winner in the Senior Living division.
San Joaquin’s culture of healthy living is based on findings from the MacArthur Foundation’s landmark study on aging which revealed how important lifestyle choices are in the aging process. To that end, ABHOW took several steps to institute a healthy living program at San Joaquin Gardens including: hiring a Lifestyle Director whose primary focus is helping residents age successfully in each dimension of whole-person wellness; implementing Masterpiece Living, a successful aging program that arose out of the MacArthur Foundation research; and investing in Posit Science, a computer-based brain fitness program designed to improve cognitive functioning in adults
Of the Pinnacle Award, Mark Steele, Interim Executive Director at San Joaquin Gardens and Regional Operations Manager for ABHOW said, "San Joaquin Gardens’ residents and employees have committed years of hard work to develop the community's whole-person wellness culture. They are the winners. The Pinnacle Award is a tremendous honor which recognizes these efforts, and they will be further rewarded with long, healthy lives."
Senior Center, Inc. - Charlottesville, Virginia
Senior Center, Inc., a nonprofit community center that serves adults age 50 years plus in Charlottesville, Virginia, was awarded the NuStep Pinnacle for its outstanding wellness programming in the senior center division.
With a mission to involve, enrich and empower older adults, Senior Center, Inc. has been a leader in enriching the lives of older adults in Charlottesville since 1960. Nationally accredited in 2002 and re-accredited in 2007, the center also recently won the 2008 Commonwealth Council on Aging Best Practices award for their independent living programming.
Through partnerships with local private, nonprofit and government organizations and the efforts of 500 volunteers who help develop and manage the center’s programs and operations, the center is able to provide a wide variety of affordable programming at the center and throughout the community.
“Receiving the NuStep Pinnacle award affirms on a national level what our community has known for over 48 years—that our Senior Center is a vital resource to help people 50 and above remain independent by accessing the complete spectrum of wellness,” says Peter Thompson, director of Senior Center, Inc. “This helps assure that our 50 and better population is vibrant and engaged and an asset for everyone in our community.”
About NuStep
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., NuStep is the maker of three Recumbent Cross Trainer models. Developed by exercise physiologists and ergonomic specialists, the T4, T5 and T5XR total body exercise machines help people stay in motion regardless of physical condition. The company’s products are used at fitness, wellness and rehabilitation centers across the country, including The Mayo Clinic, The University of Michigan, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Duke Center for Living. For more information, call 1-800-322-2209 or log onto the web site at www.nustep.com.