Feeling Good About Promoting and Encouraging Healthy Lifestyles

Since its formation in July 2003, the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation has contributed more than $7.3 million to a total of 182 grants to enhance the health and wellness of its service area residents through education, funding and programs that are designed to motivate them to adopt healthy lifestyles. By the end of this fiscal year (ending June 30, 2008), the Foundation will have invested an additional $3.1 million in grants.

One of the Foundation’s primary initiatives was to develop a systematic approach for the provision of funding to the local non-profit organizations and the community residents that rely on them. Today the grants program is the cornerstone of the Foundation, which benefits numerous non-profit organizations (school districts, family centers, multicultural groups, recreation-focused organizations, etc.) and thousands of residents.

In the fall and spring of each fiscal year, the grants are awarded to non-profit organizations that meet criteria for one of four of the Foundation’s strategic goals:

1. Reduce behavioral risks by empowering people to make healthier lifestyle choices and sponsoring school-age health and wellness education programs.

2. Improve access to medical services by providing information and advice as well as enhancing transportation and/or the convenience of those services.

3. Enhance formal and informal supports, such as not-for-profits, caregivers, family units, religious groups and other community organizations.

4. Improve physical and social environments by strengthening the community’s recreational infrastructure and encouraging an atmosphere of individual safety and non-violence in the community.

“The Foundation exists to provide opportunities for residents to enthusiastically embrace a healthier lifestyle,” said Dave Kraybill, the Foundation’s Executive Director. “Once again, we had outstanding grants submitted this fiscal year that were focused, well written and creative, the Foundation is pleased that so many local organizations actually formulate, flesh out and execute programs that truly enhance the community’s health and quality of life.”

The Foundation also assists non-profit organizations in its service region through its resources for continuous improvement of non-profit management and access to research resources in its grant-seekers library. The grant-seekers library includes current books on grant opportunities and advanced software. The Foundation encourages those interested in using the grant-seekers library to make an appointment by calling (610) 323-2006 during business hours M-F 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

To learn more about the grants program and process and to see a list of grant recipients, visit www.pottstownfoundation.org and click on “Grants & Giving.”


Education Grants Equal Healthy Habits Early
The Foundation firmly believes healthy habits start early. With this mindset, the Foundation has increased its grant-making to both public and private schools in its service area, including pre-schools and the community college. Grant-making for schools increased from $257,085 in nine schools during FY 2006 to $1,032,852 in 16 schools during FY 2007. Some of the innovative school programs funded by Foundation grants are the “Healthy Snack” program where fresh fruits and vegetables are introduced to elementary students in the Pottstown School District, the “Dance Dance Revolution” program in the Pottsgrove School District that provides activity opportunities to students through fun dance steps and the “Steps to a Healthier You” walking program at St. Aloysius School.


A Mission for Educating the Community about Health & Wellness
With established grant programs in place and initiatives to grow those funds for future years, the Foundation continues to focus on educational and motivational tools for the community.

Mission Good Nutrition, a television series sponsored by the Foundation, airs on PCTV Channel 28 every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The program is in its second season and is designed to show how eating healthier and more consciously every day impacts how you feel and makes life more enjoyable. Mission Good Nutrition provides practical ideas on how to live healthier using local resources and features recipes. The current episode, and all past episodes, can be viewed online at www.pottstownfoundation.org. This season viewers learned about organic foods to heart-healthy fats, low-fat substitute foods to lunchbox makeovers, crock-pot cooking to preparing meals with only 5 ingredients. The show also went “on the road” to the Daniel Boone Middle School. In March, viewers will see how a school cafeteria can serve healthy foods and they will watch how an after-school program, funded through a Foundation grant, teaches children about nutrition.

Other materials – such as the Fun & Fitness for the Family guide –help direct residents to resources in their community for seasonally appropriate exercise venues and activities that are easy to get to, participate in, and are inexpensive or FREE. This web-based guide is available on the Foundation’s Web site www.pottstownfoundation.org under Fitness Guide.

The Foundation also enhanced and augmented its “My Health Library” found on its Web site. Visitors could always find trusted information on a number of health related topics, but now they can enjoy weekly features and quizzes, a health tip of the day and daily health news. Visitors can also interact within “My Health Library” with useful tools including calculators, and risk assessments. The enhanced library now provides information about asthma, bariatric surgery, cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, healthy pregnancies, and more.

During the spring of 2008, Foundation sponsored signs will be installed on the Schuylkill River Trail. The signs will let those walking, running or biking on the trail know how many calories they are burning using realistic food examples. The Trail, which is managed by the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, has been instrumental in the process along with the governmental offices of Montgomery County and the Borough of Pottstown.


Embarking on an Updated Health and Needs Assessment
When the Foundation was formed in July 2003, one of the first decisions made was to commission an independent health assessment for the Pottstown Area. The report provided critical baseline information about the health and wellness of the community. The Foundation continues to use the assessment for planning and to guide grant-making decisions. The assessment also provides information to other organizations and individuals concerned about the health and wellness of the Pottstown Area. A copy of the 2003 health assessment is available for download on www.pottstownfoundation.org. As the Foundation reaches its five-year threshold, it plans to initiate a new comprehensive needs assessment for the Tri-County area. This assessment will reflect the progress of the past 5 years and help strategically plan 2009 through 2012. As a public service, the Foundation will again provide the results to the community as a resource for information and fundraising.