Healthmpowers Inc

TO EMPOWER HEALTHY HABITS AND TRANSFORM ENVIRONMENTS WHERE CHILDREN LIVE, LEARN AND PLAY.

HEALTHMPOWERS IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION SERVING CHILDREN, YOUTH, SCHOOLS, AND FAMILIES IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS GEORGIA. THROUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION EDUCATION AND PROGRAMMING, WE ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF MANY PREVENTABLE CHRONIC DISEASES THAT STEM FROM POOR NUTRITION AND LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. BY PARTNERING WITH FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES, WE PROMOTE WIDESPREAD, EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THE TOOLS THAT SECURE HEALTHY FUTURES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. OUR WORK IS TAILORED TO MEET THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF EACH POPULATION, WITH THE GOAL OF INSPIRING POSITIVE HABITS THROUGHOUT A CHILD'S LIFETIME. WE BELIEVE THAT IF WE PROVIDE GEORGIA'S YOUTH WITH HEALTH-FOCUSED PROGRAMMING, TRAINING, LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENTS, AND OPPORTUNITIES, THEN IT WILL CATALYZE POSITIVE CONCRETE CHANGE IN OVERALL YOUTH HEALTH SO THAT GEORGIANS ARE NOURISHED AND ACTIVE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) IS THE NATION'S MOST IMPORTANT ANTI-HUNGER PROGRAM. SNAP-ED, THE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT OF SNAP, IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM THAT EMPOWERS FAMILIES ELIGIBLE FOR SNAP BENEFITS TO MAXIMIZE THEIR BUDGETS AND LEAD HEALTHIER LIVES. HEALTHMPOWERS HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED AS ONE OF A FEW AGENCIES CONDUCTING SNAP-ED WORK IN GEORGIA SINCE 2007 THROUGH OUR COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM, EMPOWERING HEALTHY CHOICES IN SCHOOLS, HOMES, AND COMMUNITIES. IN COLLABORATION WITH PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS IN EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION SITES (ECE), K-12 SCHOOLS, OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME SITES, AND IN COMMUNITIES, WE ASSESS THE CURRENT NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PRACTICES OF THE SITE AND IMPLEMENT IMPROVEMENTS UNIQUE TO THE SITE'S COMMUNITY AND CULTURE. THIS PROGRAM IS DELIVERED IN A HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE MANNER WITH CONTINUED COACHING AND SUPPORT THAT LEADS TO LONG-TERM, SUSTAINABLE, POSITIVE CHANGE IN COMMUNITIES. AS A RESULT OF THIS WORK OVER 2021/2022, WE ADVANCED OUR MISSION OF CHAMPIONING HEALTHY HABITS AND TRANSFORMING THE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE CHILDREN LIVE, LEARN, AND PLAY, THROUGH THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: 294 SUSTAINABLE POLICY, SYSTEM, AND ENVIRONMENTAL (PSE) CHANGES WERE IMPLEMENTED IN THE AREAS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION, IMPACTING APPROXIMATELY 75,000 YOUTH; 538 STUDENT HEALTH ADVOCATES RECEIVED LEADERSHIP AND HEALTH EDUCATION TRAINING TO PROMOTE IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTHY EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES; 190 YOUTH RECEIVED FOOD-BASED INSTRUCTION THROUGH COOKING MATTERS CLASSES AND GARDENING INSTRUCTION; MORE THAN 270 AFTERSCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS RECEIVED TRAINING AND RESOURCES TO ENHANCE NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL PROGRAMMING. WE HOSTED 51 COMMUNITY AND FAMILY EVENTS, REACHING 2,177 PARTICIPANTS POSITIVE BEHAVIOR IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTHY EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN, ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY STUDENTS WERE REALIZED:O ECE CHILDREN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN 100% OF MEASURED HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS IN THE 2022 YEAR (9% INCREASE IN ECE CHILDREN EATING THE RECOMMENDED SERVINGS OF FRUIT AND 11% INCREASE OF ECE CHILDREN EATING A VARIETY OF VEGETABLES DAILY),O ELEMENTARY STUDENTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN 100% OF MEASURED EAT HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS FOR THE YEAR (8% INCREASE IN ELEMENTARY STUDENTS EATING THE RECOMMENDED SERVINGS OF FRUIT);O 11% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SECONDARY STUDENTS WHO WERE ABLE TO INCORPORATE 30 MINUTES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTO THEIR SCHOOL DAY OUTSIDE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS (PE).

THE GIRLS EMPOWERING MOVEMENT (GEM) PROGRAM IS A RESEARCH-BASED INITIATIVE CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED BY HEALTHMPOWERS THAT IMPROVES THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS BY EMPOWERING THEM TO TAKE THE LEAD IN DEVELOPING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS DESIGNED BY GIRLS, FOR GIRLS. GEM IS DELIVERED STATE-WIDE IN SCHOOL-BASED SETTINGS, AND IN ADDITIONAL OUT-OF-SCHOOL (OST) SETTINGS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GEORGIA AND GIRL SCOUTS REGIONAL COUNCILS. THE GEM PROGRAM SERVES MORE THAN 1,880 GIRLS IN 51 COUNTIES ACROSS GEORGIA. WE SERVE A HIGHLY DIVERSE POPULATION OF YOUTH WITH 49% IDENTIFYING AS AFRICAN AMERICAN; 12.5% IDENTIFYING AS HISPANIC, 13.4% AS OTHER; 1.3% AS ASIAN; AND 0.4% AS AMERICAN INDIAN. ABOUT 21% OF GIRL PARTICIPANTS REPORT CHRONIC CONDITIONS AND/OR DISABILITIES. THE GEM PROGRAM DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE CHALLENGE OF PROVIDING GIRLS WITH ACCESS TO AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHILE EMPOWERING THEM TO BECOME HEALTHY CHANGE AGENTS IN THEIR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. FOR GEM PARTICIPANTS SURVEYED AT THE END OF THEIR PROGRAM YEAR, THEIR OVERALL REPORTED DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WAS 151% HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE MINUTES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REPORTED AT BASELINE. IN 2021/2022 BECAUSE OF THE GEM PROGRAM, THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES WERE ACHIEVED: 2,043 GIRLS SERVED THROUGH DIRECT PROGRAM SERVICES AT 116 SITES

POWER UP FOR 30: POWER UP FOR 30 IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN HEALTHMPOWERS AND GEORGIA SHAPE, THE GOVERNOR'S STATEWIDE INITIATIVE TO INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES TO INCORPORATE AN ADDITIONAL 30 MINUTES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITYOUTSIDE OF PE, EVERY DAY FOR EVERY CHILD, AND YOUTH. POWER UP FOR 30 GIVES EDUCATORS, SCHOOLS, AND SITES RESOURCES, STRATEGIES, AND BEST PRACTICES FOR CREATING AN ACTIVE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. STUDIES SHOW THAT INCREASED ACTIVITY CAN LEAD TO IMPROVED ATTENDANCE RATES, HIGHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, BETTER CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR, AND REDUCED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN KIDS. AS A RESULT OF THESE PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES: 42 K-12 SCHOOLS PARTICIPATED IN VIRTUAL POWER UP FOR 30 TRAINING TO LEARN STRATEGIES ON HOW TO INCORPORATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL DAY, 29,000 STUDENTS INCORPORATED AT LEAST 30 MINUTES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DURING THE SCHOOL DAY, OUTSIDE OF PE.

FARM TO SCHOOL: HEALTHMPOWERS HAS A LONG HISTORY OF ENGAGEMENT IN FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, MAINTAINING AN ACTIVE ROLE WITH THE GEORGIA FARM TO SCHOOL ALLIANCE NETWORK, AND SUPPORTING THE GEORGIA FARM TO SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN. IN 2021, HEALTHMPOWERS WAS AWARDED A GRANT FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) TO STRENGTHEN OUR IMPACT BY SUPPORTING OUR WORK WITH EXISTING PARTNERS TO AUGMENT IMPLEMENTATION AND ENHANCE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF FARM TO SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. AS A RESULT OF THIS WORK IN 2021/2022: 164 EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION SITES AND K-12 SCHOOLS WERE TRAINED ON BEST PRACTICES FOR COMPREHENSIVE FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, 74% OF PARTICIPATING SITES COMPLETED ACTION PLANS THAT RESULTED IN A POLICY, SYSTEM, OR ENVIRONMENTAL (PSE) CHANGE RELATED TO GARDENING AND/OR FOOD-BASED INSTRUCTION.REACH FOR THE STARS: GEORGIA'S NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEARNING COLLABORATIVE: THE REACH FOR THE STARS LEARNING COLLABORATIVE (RSLC) IS A STATEWIDE TRAINING SERIES LED BY HEALTHMPOWERS DESIGNED TO TRANSFORM WELLNESS POLICIES AND PRACTICES WITHIN EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION (ECE) SITES TO CREATE HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN, STAFF, AND FAMILIES. THROUGHOUT THE RSLC, PARTICIPATING ECE SITES WERE PROVIDED WITH VIRTUAL TRAININGS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO IMPROVE THEIR NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES. AS A RESULT OF THIS WORK, EDUCATORS EARNED 1,290 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AND 1,254 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WERE IMPACTED.