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Making Impact 

Thank you for partnering with us! It’s clear our community cares about wellbeing.

Whether it’s supporting the WhatMakesUs campaign or helping with a neighborhood walk audit, our community comes together.

Collectively we are making impact, so people and communities thrive.

2021 Annual Report

Happy Healthy People

The ideal goal is for communities to be full of happy, healthy people.

We’re confident we will be right here to make it happen by continuing to build wellbeing into the way our communities and organizations grow.

Thank you for the role you play in these efforts, here are a few highlights showing the impact we have made together – so people and communities thrive:

  • Community Health Improvement Plan
    Along with members of the Regional Health Council, we released the first-ever Metro Region Community Health Improvement Plan. This included 3,500 community members plus 500 organizations and prioritized mental health as the top need in our region.

  • WhatMakesUs
    Through the WhatMakesUs mental health and substance use stigma reduction campaign, the stigma of mental health was reduced by 10.3% across the metro area.

  • The Healthy Neighborhood Store
    Partnered with Las Nenas Zamora Market to implement the Healthy Neighborhood Store with in-store strategies to promote Double Up Food Bucks and increase the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Ignite Awards
    The Ignite Awards recognize local individuals, teams, or organizations who demonstrate outstanding commitment to improving health and wellbeing, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, and driving positive change in overall health and wellbeing practices. In 2024, 5 categories of the Ignite Awards were introduced. View photos from the 2024 Ignite Award Celebration!
    Congratulations to the 2024 winners:

    • Family Wellbeing Award: Restoring Dignity
    • Mental Wellbeing Award: Mandy Blankenship with New Path Counseling
    • Neighborhood Wellbeing Award: Jen Bauer with the Aksarben-Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association
    • Workplace Wellbeing Award: Anastasis Theatre Company
    • Youth Wellbeing Award: Education Rights Counsel
  • Trek Up the Tower
    The region’s leading vertical stair climb, Trek Up the Tower, returned in person on February 18, 2023 with 698 participants registered to run the event, either in-person or virtually. There was not an event in 2024, however, the event is scheduled for 2025 and will take place 02/08/25! Registration is now open – REGISTER HERE
  • Activate Youth for Mental Health
    Through the Activate Youth for Mental Health program, we presented on the topics of mental health and healthy eating, installed thermoplastic to encourage outdoor play, and hosted Walk & Roll challenges.

See how we continue to foster wellness in our previous annual reports:

2021 Annual Report    2020 Annual Report