HealthCorps^® is a proactive health movement founded by heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz that empowers students to become educated consumers and health activists who take their message to underserved communities. HealthCorps^® is fighting the obesity and mental resilience crisis by getting American students and communities across the country to take charge of their health.  Their upbeat events include the month-long Healthy Steps virtual race using pedometers and the community-based "Highway to Health" Festivals. A 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization, HealthCorps^® currently receives no federal funding. Total funding is garnered through a combination of state, city, private, foundation, corporate and individual contributions. The three priorities of HealthCorps^® are:

1.  Educating the Student Body– our in-school program to empower and educate youth and faculty about their bodies, their environments and their abilities to affect them.

Like a Peace Corps for Health, HealthCorps® is a national service and peer mentoring initiative. In high schools, HealthCorps® “Coordinators” empower teens to make simple lifestyle changes to enhance their well-being and resilience and take the message to friends, families and neighbors.

Recent college graduates become HealthCorps^® "Coordinators" for two years and defer medical school or graduate health program studies to peer-mentor as public service - helping teens, their teachers and their families become health activists through:

· Our fun, experiential curriculum, developed with leading health and integrative medicine experts; Nutrition, Fitness and Mental Resilience in-school seminars and after school clubs.

· Pedometer contests for students and teachers

· Tools to create educated consumers:  food label, portion and ingredient label deciphering

· Tools to build mental resilience: stress reducers, self esteem and hope builders

· Practical exercise like walking, yoga and simple strength building routines

· Service learning projects to teach other students HealthCorps® lessons

· Field trips to organic farms, hospitals, museums

· Teen Iron Chef cooking lessons and competitions

· Parent’s Nights

2. Creating a FitTown– Our community outreach to connect and empower citizens and organizations to bring about awareness and affect change through community based projects and events such as:

· Our photovoice projects to explore and document community life

· Built-environment improvements

· Highway to Health Fair & Festivals

HealthCorps® Coordinators form important ties with public health departments, school systems, community foundations, the business community, city food banks and other community service organizations to coalesce efforts.  FitTown efforts are guided by key tools developed by the Center for Disease controls: the School Health Index (SHI) and the Community Health Index (CHI).

3. Advocacy:

· Advocate for policy shifts that put health and physical education back into the core curriculum for the American education system;

· Advocate for policy shifts that move us towards safer environments affecting health (food systems, transportation systems, public space design systems, more nature) that encourage and enable people to be more physically active.

MISSION: The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation seeks to prevent pediatric HIV infection and to eradicate pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. We advertised that we were donating a percentage of the sales of our Believe in Miracles Limited Edition Hoop to this organization, and that hoop SOLD OUT! Thank you to all of you who helped us support this incredible organization! Visit site here

MISSION: Step Up Women’s Network is a national nonprofit membership organization dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls. Through hands-on community service, mentoring, and fundraising for women’s health and critical issues, we educate and activate our membership to ensure that women and girls have the tools they need to create a better future. Visit site here