Georgia-Pacific Professional Celebrates Clean Hands Week with Handwashing Exhibition, Events

To celebrate National Clean Hands Week, Sept. 18-24, 2011, Georgia-Pacific Professional has organized a series of events and activities in Atlanta, home of Georgia-Pacific headquarters, designed to highlight the importance of proper hand hygiene.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention names handwashing as the single most effective measure to prevent the spread of disease," says Bill Sleeper, president of Georgia-Pacific Professional Washroom and Wiper Solutions. "It is our hope that this series of events in Atlanta will serve as an example for consumers across the nation and help further extend our message about the personal health and safety benefits of handwashing."

Georgia-Pacific Professional will reach out to employees, consumers and organizations in Atlanta to encourage good hand hygiene practices and promote Spread Wellness, a campaign aimed at teaching people proper techniques for washing and drying hands when away from home. The following events are planned for Sept. 22-24:

- School Presentation and Sanitizer Donations: Marilyn R. Duffoo, MS, BA, health communications specialist at the CDC and the character Mo, Georgia-Pacific Professional vice president of hygiene, will travel to M. Agnes Jones Elementary School on Friday, Sept. 23, to conduct handwashing lessons during class. Donning his germ jiu-jitsu attire, Mo along with Marilyn Duffoo will teach kindergartners about the importance of proper handwashing using educational materials from The Art of Washing Hands program and provide activity sheets, posters, stickers and a clean hands gift. Following Mos demonstration, Georgia-Pacific Professional will present the school with a years supply of hand sanitizer, facial tissue and several sanitizer stands.

- Spread Wellness Week Proclamation: To show the citys support of Georgia-Pacific Professionals hand hygiene efforts, District 4 City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow will designate the third week of September as "Clean Hands/Spread Wellness Week" in Atlanta. Georgia-Pacific Professional executives will announce the proclamation during an event at the M. Agnes Jones Elementary School on Friday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m.

- Wellness Gift Bags: On Thursday, Sept. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Spread Wellness ambassadors will hand out hygiene bags to Georgia-Pacific employees as well as visitors and members of companies located at Georgia-Pacific Center. The bags will include Spread Wellness bracelets, hand sanitizer and information on how to keep hands clean.

- Watching Hands: Artists Respond to Keeping Well: To coincide with Smithsonian Magazines Museum Day, Watching Hands: Artists Respond to Keeping Well will open at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum on Saturday, Sept. 24. Sponsored by Georgia-Pacific Professional and the CDC Foundation, the multimedia art exhibition featuring all new works from six nationally recognized artists will showcase the importance of effective hand hygiene practices through various creative media including vinyl installation, graphic design, video projection, drawing, painting and sculpture.

- Handwashing Demonstrations: The CDCs Marilyn R. Duffoo and Mo will provide interactive handwashing demonstrations at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Spread Wellness campaign features an array of awareness and educational programs for all ages that promote the benefits of increased hygiene. In addition to providing links, tips, news and tools, the Spread Wellness website offers an interactive hygiene poll and downloadable signs that encourage handwashing. Additionally, The Art of Washing Hands website includes classroom activities, coloring book pages and hygiene tips for easy downloading, as well as original handwashing songs students can learn to sing while they wash their hands.