Active Southern West Virginia is excited to announce its 2026 Workplace Wellness Capacity Building Grant recipients. These recipients will receive $1500 grants intended to assist worksites with implementing policy, system, and environmental changes, from updating policies, changing the physical environment, or engaging staff through their workplace wellness program. This year Active SWV awarded funding to Cabell-Huntington Health Department, Coplin Health Systems, HealthNet Aeromedical Services, Inc., Region 1 Workforce Development Board, and Southern Appalachian Labor School. Projects include incorporating self-monitoring blood pressure stations into the worksite, adding small employee kitchen gardens, creating relaxation spaces, and focusing on nutritional education and skill building.
History of ASWV's Workplace Wellness
Active Southern West Virginia stepped into the workplace wellness space in 2019 with the philosophy that a healthy and active community will attract new businesses, tourism, and jobs while developing a proud culture of wellness and physical activity in southern West Virginia. Since 2019 Active SWV has trained worksites in 29 West Virginia counties, impacting tens of thousands of employees across the state and awarded almost $100,000 in grant funds in support of workplace wellness programs.
But numbers don’t show the whole picture of what we do and believe here at Active SWV. Our lasting impact is the change these workplace wellness sites spark within West Virginians, like one of our Grantee Employees from last year who shared:
Physical wellness isn’t just about looking better. It is about feeling better and being better. I started my physical fitness journey here at [….]. With just the stretch bands before we had the new bigger weights. This journey helped me through a mentally hard time and made me better at dealing with life on life’s terms and made me able to do my job better. I am grateful to everyone involved and this journey I’ve been on has impacted my life so much deeper than what you see in the pictures. I have more confidence! I can cope better and it gives me a safe space to decompress from a very intense career. Without these things I wouldn’t be able to pour into people like I do. I thank God and everyone who made this possible for me!
Future of ASWV's Workplace Wellness
If you are interested in learning more about Active SWV’s Workplace Wellness program, we are in an exciting position to announce the launch of our WV Workforce Well-Being program beginning in 2026. Our pilot program will include training on implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of a workplace well-being program. Additionally, Active SWV is happy to provide a consultation to determine if your worksite is a good candidate for the pilot program which could result in seed funding once training is complete. At this time, we have coaches preparing trainings in the next 4-6 weeks. Please contact Kelly Fox (kelly@activeswv.com) to be added to our priority list for training.
If you’re not ready for training just yet, then consider signing up for our new free monthly workforce well-being newsletter, where we provide actionable tips, advice and resources for increasing physical activity within the workplace.
Stay Active!
Thank you for your commitment to making the healthier choice the easier choice for West Virginians. Together, we are creating a more resilient and thriving community.
Kelly Fox
Workplace Wellness Director
Active Southern West Virginia