Grouper Newsroom
What people are saying about us and our social fitness movement.
Grouper in the News
Doug Wenners
For decades, the health care system has embraced the philosophy of “manage what you measure.” Hospitals and health plans measure hospital admissions and length of stay. The public health community measures the rate of premature deaths, cancer rates and opioid overdoses. Though useful for planning, none of these measures actually offers a blueprint for health improvement….
Doug Wenners
Last week, I accompanied a close friend to his first chemotherapy appointment to treat a recently diagnosed cancer. As he met with the doctor, I sat in the waiting room and watched as a stream of patients walked to the registration desk. Many of them had something in common: they were accompanied by a friend or family member. The rest came alone. Sitting in the waiting room brought back memories from 30 years ago…
Doug Wenners
The man was surrounded by walls of garbage.
Bags and bags of trash filled the living room of one of the newest patients of the home-based medical practice I founded in 2019. It lined the walls of every room, creating a hulking, plastic forest of rot. The nurse practitioner who first visited this patient had assumed he was a hoarder. But the patient soon explained that he did not want to live among all this waste…
Grouper Press Releases
Partnership Announcement
Grouper, the national leader in activity benefit administration, is thrilled to announce a partnership with Walk with a Doc, a global non-profit organization that encourages healthy living through regular walking events led by physicians and other healthcare providers.
PR Newswire
Element3 Health, the national leader in group activity management and benefit administration, has changed its name to Grouper. The change reflects the company’s deep commitment to improving health, happiness and longevity through group activities and the social connections they create…
Social Fitness Content
Grouper
Grouper’s Founder and Chief Community Officer, Spencer Morgan, highlights the people and clubs who bring to life Grouper’s mission of encouraging healthy living through activities that build meaningful social connections and shared experiences.
AMA
In an increasingly connected world, a paradoxical crisis is silently gripping communities: social isolation. And it is casting a long shadow over public health, from older adults grappling with seclusion to the unexpected repercussions for younger generations…
CNN
If you’re visiting with loved ones this holiday season, a new study suggests you make that a habit on a regular basis, if you haven’t already. Those who don’t socialize with friends or family may see their risk of dying early increase by 39%…
Science Focus
Dr Gillian Sandstrom was at the opera when she realised how good she had become at talking to strangers. A woman with Parkinson’s was feeling anxious and needed an aisle seat when Sandstrom noticed…
Member's Corner
Spencer Morgan
Every Tuesday night at 6 p.m., in Huntsville, Alabama, 88 familiar faces gather under the neon lights and the familiar, comforting soundtrack of rolling balls, scattering pins and the clank of bowling machines doing their business. It’s league night, an American tradition, alive and well at Redstone Lanes.
Spencer Morgan
On a recent Wednesday afternoon at Suhaka Field, Loren Anderson craned his neck skyward as the vintage biplane he had built from scratch – including cutting its balsa wood parts – soared through a clear blue Colorado sky.
Spencer Morgan
Ruth Kennedy had some scraps of fabric leftover from making clothes over the years for her family. Living now in a town far from the one she had called home, Kennedy decided to visit a local quilt shop to see what she could piece together from her collection. What she found there was so much more than she could have imagined…
Linda Jacobsen
I’m 70, and my social life has been brimming with fun, wonderful friendships and exciting activities ever since I joined my pickleball club. My physical health has improved greatly, from weight loss to lower blood pressure and better blood test results. My emotional health is excellent due to having so many exceptional friends…
Spencer Morgan
As darkness fell on Dec. 30, 2008, Dave and Joan Brown stood overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, their eyes fixed on a lighthouse. For Joan, it was a moment of triumph, having finally completed the American Volkssport Association’s “Lighthouse, USA” special program – a challenge to complete 12 sanctioned walks with a lighthouse before midnight Jan. 1, 2009…
Spencer Morgan
Mike, who turned 70 in January but exudes the energy of a much younger man, says he probably walks 50 miles every week, between the traversing from his apartment to his various chess engagements and the regular nature hikes he does with his friend Jim. In the world of chess, Jim is a National Master (awarded by the United States Chess Federation – US Chess – for achieving a rating of 2200 or higher) and a chess coach at the St. Louis Chess Club.
Introducing Susan Watkins, a longtime member of the Red Hat Society, an organization known for fostering friendship and connection among women through fun and quirky themed gatherings. Susan shares her experiences from 17 years in the society, highlighting how the Red Hatters create strong bonds and joyfully support one another. With stories of themed events and heartwarming moments, Susan shows how the Red Hat Society brings women together, making the challenges of aging a little brighter through friendship and shared experiences.
Like a train staying on schedule, Roy Masterson maneuvers through the National Model Railroad Association’s community of clubs and conventions, connecting with fellow NMRA members over their shared love of model railroading. An added bonus? The social fitness benefit administered by Grouper covers the cost of NMRA memberships for eligible members, like Roy. Learn more about Grouper’s partnership with the NMRA.
Other Related News
A Film by Robert D. Putnam
Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America may depend on it. In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis.
Benefits with Fran
A Toast to Connection: Fran’s Caroling Surprise
Sailing Into Friendship
Dunbar's Number Counts Friends, Including Dogs
Delighted to be Skunked
A Quilt's Healing Power
