Alaskans encouraged to participate and reconnect with themselves and fellow friends and neighbors during Suicide Prevention Month.
GCI, Alaska’s leader in connectivity, has launched a free wellness challenge for Alaskans to find connection with their fellow community members. The GCI Wellness Challenge encourages Alaskans to complete four mental health wellness challenges for the chance to win tech prizes. This challenge was launched to coincide with National Suicide Prevention Month and the announcement of this year’s GCI Suicide Prevention Grant recipients, which will occur later this month.
“We see Alaskans missing out on the connections they crave, and we want to do what we can to make sure no one feels lost or alone this September,” said Megan Mazurek, GCI’s Senior Events and Contribution Manager. “We know how important it is to take care of each other and ourselves to maintain mental wellness, but it can be hard to make the time. We want Alaskans to make the time this year by checking in with a friend, cooking a healthy meal, getting active and focusing on some self-care time. These little actions can add up to so much more when it comes to mental wellness, we really believe in that here at GCI.”
The free event asks participants to complete four health and wellness tasks through an app. Participants can find more details on how to register for the GCI Wellness Challenge at www.gci.com/why-gci/gcigives/gci-wellness-challenge. After registering, participants can log the completion of their four wellness challenges before Sept. 30 to be entered to win a tech prize and receive additional challenge swag in the mail. The four challenges are:
Complete a 5K run or walk.
Cook a healthy meal.
Check in with a friend.
Take 30 min of me time, whether that’s going for a walk, reading a book, meditating, or gardening, etc.
Participants who complete all four tasks by Sept. 30, 2021, will be entered to win prizes including Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones, Apple iPad 128GB, and Apple Watch Series 6 44MM. The challenge is intended to help raise awareness of the importance of mental wellness and healthy communities — a cornerstone of GCI’s corporate giving philosophy.
Each year GCI, through its Suicide Prevention Fund, contributes to vital suicide prevention efforts with an emphasis on organizations that serve small, rural Alaska communities. Since 2016, GCI has donated more than $500,000 to organizations across the state that are committed to suicide prevention in their respective communities. Recipients of the 2021 grants will be announced September 9.
GCI is one of Alaska’s leaders in corporate philanthropy, donating approximately $2 million each year in cash, products and connectivity to organizations across the state. GCI is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and provides employees with 16 hours of paid leave to volunteer with local organizations.
For more information about GCI Gives, visit www.gci.com/why-gci/gcigives. For more information about the GCI Suicide Prevention Fund, visit www.gci.com/why-gci/gcigives/gci-suicide-prevention-fund.
