May 2023
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Two women cooking on a griddle.
PDRMA Profiles

How do you stay motivated to achieve your health and wellness goals? We’d like your ideas and tips about eating right and exercising. Please email HealthinAction@pdrma.org with your story or suggest another PDRMA Health Program participant who has inspired you for us to feature in a profile. Help us to stay focused on health and wellness!

If you choose to do your biometric screening at an on-site screening location, you know you have a “breakfast buffet” — usually coordinated by your agency’s Wellness Ambassador — to look forward to after you finish your exam. And those buffets can be as varied as everyone’s individual PATH wellness journey! While most offer granola bars, fruits and other quick items, some Wellness Ambassadors go out of their way to up the game.

Man receiving breakfast plate from woman in kitchen.
Woodridge Park District

Connie Curry, Woodridge Park District’s Human Resources Manager, takes these breakfasts very seriously. “Every year I cook on-site for our staff,” she explains. “They’ve been fasting (for the blood test), and I want to start off their workday right by giving them a delicious breakfast after their screening. It’s my way of thanking them for participating — and for everything they do for the district day in and day out.”

Each year, Curry changes the menu and transforms something that might have been a guilty pleasure into a healthy, energizing treat that helps her coworkers get through the day. “This year our screening was on St. Patrick’s Day, so I served an Irish-themed fruit salad where all of the fruit was green, along with a whole-grain, sheet-pan blueberry pancake,” she says. “The pancake used a combination of flours including spelt flour, which has a mild, nutty flavor and contains iron, magnesium and zinc, and whole-grain flours that can improve heart health, aid digestion, reduce the risk of diabetes and help people achieve or maintain a healthy weight.”

With those same goals in mind, Jennifer Hermonson, Addison Park District’s Executive Director says, “Every year we host an on-site screening, we try to put on a great spread. It’s a thank you to employees for taking the time to fast and caring enough about their health to take that first step to becoming even healthier. So, we offer them an AMAZING team-building event!”

Hermonson says the agency wants to educate employees about healthy foods not only being good for you but tasting good as well. “We cook up waffles on-site, but I use a heart-healthy waffle mix. Instead of oil, I use applesauce. I also offer regular, gluten-free and vegan waffles with light/low calorie syrup, but we strongly suggest peanut butter or natural jelly as a healthier topping.”

Man looking over the breakfast buffet options.
Addison Park District

Other favorites on the menu include assorted yogurts, thin bagels, multi-grain English muffins, Honey Nut Cheerios, assorted beverages and a variety of fresh fruits. “We tell everyone to take those items with them to enjoy a healthy snack later in the day,” she adds. 

“Some people get stressed over their health status, getting their finger pricked, seeing their biometric screening numbers, etc.” Hermonson explains.


“Having a fun, relaxed environment where employees can come eat, gather and just be themselves creates a space where they feel welcome — and want to come back.”


Similarly, Mary Ann Troc, Tinley Park Park District’s Human Relations Supervisor, looks at cooking her agency’s breakfast as a personal challenge — to serve the biggest and best spread using the gift card PDRMA provides to each agency that hosts an on-site screening.

“I am pretty sure I have been making breakfast for my staff since the beginning of the PATH program (2009),” she reflects. “Back then, I challenged myself to see how much more I could buy with the gift card, because I knew I could cook and serve more participants starting from scratch than if I purchased bagels, fruit and granola bars. And I thought it would be fun.”

But Troc soon found herself trying to outdo the offerings from the year before. “Scrambled eggs one year turned into breakfast burritos the next,” she reflects, “or made-to-order omelets became individual frittatas with or without fresh green peppers. We still have some hold outs that would prefer not to eat vegetables for breakfast,” she adds as a side note.

“I purchase turkey sausage and hide the packaging, so no one knows whether it’s pork sausage until after they enjoy it,” she teases. “Oatmeal has morphed into steel-cut oats and has become the one staple from year to year. I cook the oats with fresh blueberries or dried cranberries and offer some toppings as well. And there are always some grab-and-go items like English muffins, bagels with cream cheese, bananas and granola bars.”

Man and woman tending food on a stove.
Dundee Township Park District

Bill Hepperle, Dundee Park District’s Fitness Manager, sees biometric screenings as an essential component in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. That’s why, at his agency, they like to spend time and effort choosing what to offer in their breakfast buffet. “We want to be sure our employees understand we’re thankful for their participation,” he explains.

“To give them additional motivation to participate in screening,” Hepperle adds, “we enhanced our offerings to allow time for employees to sit, eat and socialize rather than having them run out the door when they complete their screening. We had breakfast sandwiches, pancakes and sausage links — rather than handing out packaged granola bars or a piece of fruit as they ran out the door.”

And employees were appreciative of the agency’s efforts. “They were grateful for the thought and effort we put into the breakfast. So, we set the bar higher for ourselves to offer an even better breakfast next year!”