The largest academic-based nutrition research center in the world aims to make Lafayette's population healthier.
Take a major step toward a healthier lifestyle on Sept. 17 at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center Quest for Wellness at Town Square in River Ranch.
The largest academic-based nutrition research center in the world will raise money for its projects with a 5K run/walk and speaker symposiums Sept. 16-17. Pennington concentrates its studies on preventing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, dementia and heart disease.
The Pennington Quest for Wellness is promoting fitness and healthier lifestyles for corporate employees at work as well as at home. Sponsored by City Club at River Ranch, the Village of River Ranch, Lafayette General Medical Center, Dwight Andrus Insurance and Event Rental, the event is being spearheaded by River Ranch developer Robert Daigle and Allen & Gooch Managing Partner Clay Allen.
A couple of years ago, Allen, who is chairman of LGMC's board of trustees, joined Pennington's board, with Daigle following a year later. Through his tenure with LGMC, Allen saw firsthand the impact of diet-related disease on Acadiana's aging population. "We have such a great quality of life here, with the culture, food and music, so the notion of a healthy lifestyle and longevity is something we are concerned about," Allen says.
After serving on Pennington's board, Daigle and Allen decided to create a wellness event to show Lafayette what the center is doing to improve the health and culture of our population.
"We saw the opportunity to create an event where employers can look at adopting wellness programs that will help bend the cost curve down for insurance, add to employee productivity and also provide a culture of showing that employers care for employees," Allen says. "We saw it as one of the best things we could do for the community."
Read more about the event in this week's Health & Medical Monthly feature, "Get Well Soon."