By Tiffany Williams –
Providence College is being recognized for putting employee health and well-being at the center of its workplace culture, earning two honors during Rhode Island’s 32nd Annual Worksite Health Awards.
The College received an Exemplary Worksite Health Award and an Inspiring Voices Award from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. The honors recognize programs designed to encourage employee health and well-being in meaningful ways.
Providence College was one of 48 Rhode Island businesses honored during a breakfast ceremony attended by hundreds of business and wellness leaders from across the state. The event highlighted organizations demonstrating a commitment to improving the overall health of Rhode Islanders through innovative workplace wellness programs.
The Exemplary Award represents the highest level of recognition presented through the Worksite Health Awards. For Providence College, the honor recognizes a broader effort to create a workplace environment where employee wellness is actively supported.
But the College received additional recognition for one particularly distinctive member of the campus community: Finnegan.
Finnegan is the Personal Counseling Center’s certified therapy dog and was featured as part of the program that earned Providence College the Inspiring Voices Award. Finnegan attends events and works with faculty, staff and students across campus.
His role focuses on supporting mental and emotional wellness by creating moments of connection within the Providence College community. Those interactions are designed to help foster resilience, balance and a stronger sense of community among people on campus.
The Inspiring Voices Award recognizes a unique and creative approach to advancing wellness at Providence College. Finnegan’s work demonstrates how employee and campus wellness efforts can extend beyond traditional programs and incorporate personal connections into everyday campus life.
Behind the College’s broader wellness efforts is Ambassadors for PC Wellness, Providence College’s faculty and staff wellness committee. The College credited the committee for its dedication to building and maintaining a culture centered on employee well-being.
With both the Exemplary Worksite Health Award and Inspiring Voices Award, Providence College leaves this year’s ceremony with recognition not simply for having wellness programs, but for finding different ways to bring those programs directly into its campus community.
And in a workplace wellness program filled with policies, initiatives and organized events, one of Providence College’s most visible approaches comes on four paws, with Finnegan helping bring connection and emotional support directly to the people who make up the campus.