NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 7, 2023 – Today, WeightWatchers (NASDAQ: WW) (“WeightWatchers,” “WW,” or “the Company”) announced the winners of its third-annual WW Wellness Impact Award, an initiative aimed at empowering and amplifying the work of local leaders who are increasing access to health resources and improving comprehensive weight health outcomes in historically marginalized communities.
Community has always been at the heart of WeightWatchers and, as part of celebrating 60 years of community, the company is honoring four organizations dedicated to improving the health of underrepresented communities. These historically-excluded communities often face a lack of access to healthcare, unequal treatment, and distrust in the system when seeking care. The recognition of the Wellness Impact Award not only highlights the organizations but also accelerates the work of these organizations for their dedication to improving the weight health of those disproportionately affected by systemic bias.
This year, more than 50 diverse organizations were nominated, all of which are actively reimagining what health and well-being look like in their communities. From this impressive pool of nominees, four BIPOC-led organizations were chosen to each receive a $20,000 grant, along with complimentary WeightWatchers memberships and product donations for their communities. The 2023 grant winners are:
- Healthy Hood Chicago (Chicago, IL) - An organization that aims to bridge the 20-year life expectancy gap that disproportionately affects Black and Brown neighborhoods by addressing the high-level needs in these resource-starved communities.
- Black Women for Wellness (Los Angeles, CA & Stockton, NJ) - An organization that utilizes programming, policy, and research to address the health inequity of Black women and their children.
- Dion’s Chicago Dream (Chicago, IL) - An organization with a mission to create financial, physical, and emotional stability for Chicago’s residents by combating food insecurity while addressing food deserts in neighborhoods across the city.
- Shelley Cares Foundation (Ontario, CA) - An organization that works to fight hunger and provide safe, healthy food to youth, families, and seniors in Canada.
“I was touched by all of the thought-provoking applications we received for this year’s WW Wellness Impact Award,” said Tiffany Stevenson, Chief People Officer, WeightWatchers. “With this initiative, we’re doing our part to uplift individuals who are making a difference in their local communities by removing barriers to health access, especially among communities of color, which we know are disproportionately impacted. Our winners this year are all amazing organizations run by local changemakers, and they will be key partners in our mission to raise awareness of each person’s right to take charge of their weight health.”
All award nominees were carefully reviewed and considered by the WW Wellness Impact Award Committee, a group of diverse employees that span levels and practice areas of WeightWatchers. The four winners will also receive exposure to WeightWatchers’ member and employee communities through marketing and engagement opportunities as part of their recognition.
The Wellness Impact Award is a part of WeightWatchers’ larger effort to further support under-resourced communities in the U.S., called the Community First Initiative. This program provides hyper-local, intensified weight health support to those in historically under-resourced areas, subsequently increasing equitable access to evidence-based, behavioral, clinical, and functional solutions for all. Currently, research shows that BIPOC communities face staggeringly worse health outcomes than their white counterparts, such as disproportionately higher rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and other chronic diseases. Through local partnerships, tailored coaching, and community-led education campaigns, the Community First Initiative aims to further increase access to weight health information, while decreasing rates of misinformation and comorbidities associated with obesity. Today, WeightWatchers’ Community First Initiative serves hundreds of participants in Ohio, as well as Chicago, which recently launched in partnership with the DuSable Black History Museum. The Community First Initiative will continue expansion efforts into new markets in 2024.
To learn more about the Wellness Impact Award, please visit ww.com/ImpactAward.
About WW International, Inc.
WeightWatchers is a human-centric technology company powered by our proven, science-based, clinically effective weight loss and weight management program. For six decades, we have inspired millions of people to adopt healthy habits for real life. We combine technology and community to help members reach and sustain their goals on our program. To learn more about the WeightWatchers approach to healthy living, please visit ww.com. For more information about our global business, visit our corporate website at corporate.ww.com.
Media Contact:
Kelsey Merkel, WeightWatchers
kelsey.merkel@ww.com