In March, AAOA hosted two professional riders, Adrian Hegyvary and Hilton Clarke, from the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team in a Charity Ride for Kids benefiting the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation. Local cycling enthusiasts joined the pros on a 30 mile ride originating at Gregg’s Cycles in Green Lake and continuing down Lake Washington Boulevard, across the I-90 bridge, around Mercer Island and back. For Adrian, a UW grad, this ride was a throw back to his time in Seattle and the many times before he has done that same ride. In the years to come, AAOA plans to make this an annual event with a growing number of riders and therefore support of the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation. AAOA is committed to engaging in the community and promoting wellness for all. We look forward to building on the AAOA Charity Ride for Kids in the future. Read more.

Healthy eating, exercise and bicycle safety, those were the messages 88 boys and girls at the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club heard from professional cyclists Adrian Hegyvary and Hilton Clarke in March. Adrian and Hilton both ride for the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team. “We were thrilled to have these two world class athletes come and speak with the kids,” said Patrick Chestnut, President & CEO of AAOA, “Kids dream of becoming professional athletes and on Friday they were able to meet some exceptional role models who are living the dream.” After the talk, all of the kids were fitted with their own UnitedHealthcare Bicycle Helmet by the volunteers from AAOA, UnitedHealthcare and Gregg’s Cycles. Once everyone was fitted, all 88 children bobbled out of the gym, helmets on, ready to follow Adrian and Hilton’s safety and exercise tips. AAOA was proud to co-sponsor this event with UnitedHealthcare, furthering our commitment to community engagement while promoting health and wellness. Read more.

AAOA is pleased to participate as a corporate sponsor of Get Fit Bonney Lake, a program targeted to get people moving both in business and in the community. AAOA joined nearly 40 vendors at the July 16 Get Fit Fun Run and Business Expo, attracting hundreds of people to the Prime Fitness parking lot in Bonney Lake. NBC’s Biggest Loser Winner, Matt Hoover, even made an appearance to present the winner of the Weight Loss Challenge. Read more.

Each year, AAOA will recognize an individual or company who is making a difference in Washington State. The AAOA Spirit of Business Award was initiated in honor of Pat Chestnut's father, to pay tribute to those who are fostering the success of small business at the local level, which is the driving force of job creation and the development of economically viable communities. AAOA values and recognizes those areas of focus in addition to education, health, community development, and business advocacy. AAOA will present the Spirit of Business Award annually to a business or individual in Washington State, announcing the recipient alongside one of its partnering Chambers or Associations. Read more.

As part of the AAOA mission, we are dedicated to giving back to the community and continually support chambers and associations across Washington State. In addition to our ongoing support of the WCCE, AAOA is proud to announce we are the presenting sponsor of the WCCE state-wide leadership conference for the fourth consecutive year. The theme of this year’s conference is “Lean in… to Recovery” and will focus on providing information and resources to help chambers emerge as leaders and innovators in a new economy. Read more.