HealthMPowers was founded in 2000 by two community leaders who became concerned about the health of Georgia’s children. HealthMPowers’ first home was a donated space in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta headquarters. The room was snug, with one long cubicle for the six educators tasked with developing effective, evidence-based programming. At first, programming targeted only elementary and middle school students and focused on physical activity and nutrition education, injury prevention, and alcohol, tobacco, and drug awareness. Even in our early years, our niche was apparent, teaching lessons to students and leading staff trainings and curriculum development.

Our “mobile unit,” a semi-truck trailer outfitted as a classroom, provided “traveling field trips” to students. Over time, HealthMPowers evolved to conducting school-wide assemblies. In response to new trends in health which showed alarming rates of obesity in children across Georgia, our board of directors decided to ramp up programming in healthy eating, nutrition, and physical activity.

In 2007, we became an official SNAP-Ed implementing agency, in partnership with the state of Georgia and USDA. That’s when we shifted our approach from solely giving lessons to active, multi-year partnerships with schools to transforming educational settings into healthy, active environments.

Several members of our original staff remain with HealthMPowers to this day, continuing to grow alongside the organization. They’re passionate about HealthMPowers’s mission, and are drawn toward its culture of leadership, health promotion, and education.

Where are we going next?