Community Health Initiatives

Our more than 40 place-based Community Health Initiatives are formed through partnerships with local community-based organizations and residents throughout our service areas to support policies and environmental changes that promote healthy eating and active living in neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. In pursuit of that objective, we also support community economic development, environmental sustainability, neighborhood safety, and other conditions essential to healthy communities.

In 2011, we invested $26.8 million in grants and donations in support of our CHI partnerships, in addition to substantial technical support and expertise. Because no single organization can achieve the objectives we envision, we have cofounded and work through a number of major public-private partnerships devoted to obesity prevention and the sustainable development of healthy communities.

In addition, in 2011 we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our Educational Theatre Program, which has entertained and educated more than 15 million children and adults with colorful, school-based productions dealing with the real-life health and safety issues facing children and parents. And we launched a national, online Every Body Walk! campaign to promote the extraordinary health benefits of the simple act of walking just 30 minutes a day.

Through grants, we supported 1,823 organizations in our communities nationwide.