Foundation for a Healthier West Orange

The Foundation for A Healthier West Orange invests in and champions initiatives that support the health and well-being of our community. A trusted community leader, the Foundation brings together an engaged network of business, government, faith-based organizations, educational institutions, not-for-profits and healthcare professionals. The vision of the organization is to cultivate the healthiest community in the nation.the Foundation is guided by three values for its work in the community health and wellness, innovation and access. Continued on schedule owe stand for the continuous improvement of emotional, mental, and physical health and well-being. In addition, we recognize our purpose as A thought leader and investor to enable growth and change in our community with A special focus on place infrastructure and resources, branded with healthy West Orange to further the goals of the movement. And lastly, we stand for equitable access to nutritious food, safe and inclusive opportunities for physical activity, and healthcare services.these values are put into action in A number of ways, including: - leading A collaborative steering committee that seeks to promote, activate, and enhance the trail system throughout West Orange county. - addressing senior needs by evaluating partnerships and funding informed by research. - creating infrastructure and green spaces that build healthy communities - the facilitation of investments that address special needs such as disabilities and health related limitations. - engaging the community with health communication, evidence-based community initiatives, and expanding access to local services. Accomplishment for our three largest program services include: - healthy West Orange, A consumer-facing health and wellness movement that encourages residents to eat well, stay active and enjoy life inspires healthy behaviors, champions healthy programs, unites health-minded organizations, and advocates for healthy community decisions. Continuing to adapt in A post covid-19 environment, healthy West Orange focused on bringing back and expanding in-person programming and education while still growing virtual engagement with social media opportunities. In the last year, healthy West Orange reached more than 300,000 members of the community through five social media outlets, dozens of community festivals and events, monthly newsletters, four healthy activity challenges and continual content additions to the website. - in addition, the organization operates hubb, A physical and virtual resource center that helped more than 11,000 individuals find and access local health and wellness programs and services. From housing and food to mental health and basic access to healthcare, hubb bridges the gap between the numerous organizations that deliver health and wellness resources and the residents in the community who are seeking these services and programs. Residents not only found these resources through hubb, but the platform allowed them to connect directly with the agencies, closing the loop and ensuring individuals could engage with the resources they found. for residents needing more personalized support, the hubb community resource specialist also provided guidance and resource assistance to more than 400 individuals through telephonic and zoom support, helping individuals who struggled to self-navigate the online resource.- in collaboration with the american heart association, the Foundation expanded "westly's mile" to eleven elementary schools in West Orange county. The walk/run club is designed to give elementary students in West Orange county A Foundation of healthy habits. Over the next three years, westly's mile will expand to 29 elementary schools. To support the program, each school will receive program materials, guidance and stipends for teachers who lead the run/walk club. In addition to westly's mile, healthy West Orange and the american heart association engage middle schools in West Orange county with education materials, activities and engagement related to proper hydration.