Chancellor Anne Ponder with Parsec Financial Management CEO Bart Boyer

UNC Asheville's North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness recently got a boost thanks to a $14,000 Parsec Prize from Parsec Financial Management. The University will use the funds to continue laying the groundwork for faculty and undergraduate student research and program development to prevent childhood obesity, foster workplace wellness and promote senior wellness, three of the state's most pressing health concerns.

"The Parsec Prize is geared toward helping organizations that benefit education and prospects for economic development in our area," said Bart Boyer, CEO and chairman of Parsec Financial Management in Asheville. "We feel that the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness is a great example of this type of work and are excited that they are our current recipient."

The North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness will be a unique academic and outreach initiative built around UNC Asheville's new major in health and wellness promotion. Programs will focus on regional health problems, including childhood obesity, workplace wellness and senior wellness. The Center will be the hub for educating health and wellness professionals, conducting interdisciplinary research, building local and statewide partnerships, and incubating community programs around critical health and wellness issues. Ground breaking for the 133,500-square-foot facility is expected to occur on or before May 2008. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months and building occupancy is expected in 2010.
 

Dr. Keith Ray, Health & Wellness Promotion Department Chair (left), Chancellor Ponder (center) and Athletics Director Janet Cone (right), discuss plans for the N.C. Center for Health & Wellness with Parsec Financial Management CEO Bart Boyer

"The Parsec Prize is critical for the development of the Center," said UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder. "Although the construction of North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness is not yet under way, important programming and community collaborations have already been launched. The Parsec Prize funds will help with the successful development in course curriculums which will lead to outstanding trained professionals in the field of preventative health care."

Parsec Financial Management's generous support of UNC Asheville in the areas of student scholarships, the athletics program, and the N.C. Center for Creative Retirement extends back to 1994. In addition, Parsec is the new sponsor of UNC Asheville's popular Crystal Ball Seminar, an annual event that focuses on the state, national and international economic and financial outlook for the coming year. The 2008 Crystal Ball Seminar will be held May 1.

Parsec Financial Management is a fee-only investment counsel and financial planning firm. Its services include review and recommendations on goal setting, taxes, insurance, budgeting, retirement, estate planning and other areas where opportunities exist for the company to have a positive impact on its clients' financial well being. The company launched the Parsec Prize in 2005; it is awarded quarterly to non-profit organizations across the region.