SOMERVILLE PARTNERS WITH ‘WELLCOIN’ TO PROMOTE WELLBEING

SOMERVILLE – Furthering its commitment to residents’ wellbeing and happiness, the City of Somerville announced today a new partnership with the innovative health and wellness platform, “Wellcoin,”  which allows residents to reap benefits from participating local businesses as rewards for healthy behaviors. Users can sign up for free at www.wellcoin.com.

Users earn Wellcoins, a virtual currency, for doing any of hundreds of healthy activities, and they are not simply limited to eating right and being active. Exemplifying Somerville’s focus on the “whole person,” Wellcoin offers rewards for such healthy lifestyle choices as doing good deeds for friends and neighbors, reading a book, and yes, even indulging in a cupcake every once in a while (it does contribute to happiness, after all). Users can then redeem earned Wellcoins for rewards and services with participating local vendors, which currently include Brooklyn Boulders, Broga and Whole Foods in Somerville—and the list is growing!

“We are extremely excited to partner with Wellcoin as part of our continued commitment to providing innovative, fun and engaging opportunities for residents of all ages to find ways to be healthy and happy in the City of Somerville,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “It’s important not only to eat right and be active, but to see health and wellness as an overall lifestyle choice that includes contributing to your community in positive ways, being kind to friends and neighbors, or taking time for yourself to do things that you love. Wellcoin really encompasses that value, and we hope residents find this opportunity as fun and exciting as I already have.”

"We are truly delighted to partner with Somerville, which is known nationally as a pioneer among cities when it comes to assuring the health and wellness of its residents,” said Glenn Laffel, CEO of Wellcoin. “Somerville's partnership with Wellcoin is just its latest creative effort to lead in this area. We look forward to the collaboration."

Users can log activity and check in at local establishments by signing in at www.wellcoin.com or by using the Wellcoin app available on iPhone or Android phones. Local businesses or organizations who would like to participate in Wellcoin by providing incentives should email partners@wellcoin.com or visithttp://www.wellcoin.com/Partner.

To kick off the partnership, the City will raffle off a pair of tickets to the popular (and sold out!) annual Illuminations Tour, run by the Somerville Arts Council, on Saturday, Dec. 14. The tickets are valid for Mayor Curtatone’s trolley at 5 p.m., and winners will be chosen at random on December 12^th. To qualify for the raffle, you must be a resident of Somerville and must log at least one activity on Wellcoin between Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.