The Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) is a competitive place to work—in a healthy way. Many of us on staff regularly participate in AAM Fit, an employee initiative that supports AAM's mission and brand values.
The initiative comprises fitness tools, resources and events for the AAM team and family members, such as SOME's annual Thanksgiving Day 5K Turkey Trot for Hunger, which raises money for the poor and homeless.
Early in the pandemic, I tapped into the expertise of Jennifer Soup and Aquera Agee on our Meetings and Marketing team to find a mobile app that supports a private AAM Fit group for staff members to track our fitness. The Fitbit app enables us to connect weekly, and on a more personal level, by participating in friendly step challenges and posting fun photos of activity ideas and places to walk in the local area.
I was excited to see our CEO Dan Leonard join within weeks of coming onboard at AAM. This energetic and “can do” culture enables our relatively small team to tackle some of the most challenging advocacy issues for our industry and members.
Personally, getting alerts on my phone with how my co-workers are doing motivates me to go the extra mile. I love hiking and walking with my dog Gleyber. (I urge you to follow Dogs of AAM on Instagram. Our four-legged co-workers are the best!)
Dan's Executive Assistant Maria Pacheco says participating in team challenges has helped her get to know her colleagues in her four months at AAM. She incorporates downhill skiing and TikTok dances with her children to boost her steps.
We’re a health organization,
says Senior Director, Operations Jewel Smith. So it makes sense that we take care of ourselves and try to stay in shape.
During the pandemic, she adds, walking helps her stay organized during the day and to sleep at night. It gives me peace,
she says.
This account of AAM’s fitness campaign would be incomplete without a shout-out to Senior Manager, State Government Affairs Andrew O’Connor, who helped spearhead and brand the initiative. The only word to describe the man is tireless. We sometimes wonder if he ever sleeps.
View other AAM team initiatives.
Follow AAM on Instagram.
By Erica Klinger, Senior Director, Marketing