About

Overview

Highmark Healthy High 5 is a 5-year, $100 million investment of the Highmark Foundation. Through Highmark Healthy High 5, the Highmark Foundation will improve the health and well-being of our kids and create a brighter future for us all.

Highmark Healthy High 5 has a mission to promote lifelong healthy behaviors in children and adolescents (ages 6-18) in Highmark's service area to ensure that they have healthy bodies and minds.

Highmark Healthy High 5 will award grants to nonprofit organizations that address children's health promotion in five key areas.

The five key areas are:

• Nutrition
• Physical activity
• Self-esteem
• Grieving
• Bullying

Through extensive research of emerging health issues, Highmark determined that it could improve children's health in our region by providing strong support for focused programs and encouraging new efforts. Studies illustrate that the health habits children develop at a young age will continue with them through adulthood, so it makes good sense to start children on the right path.

The Highmark Foundation has a long history of promoting children's health, demonstrated through funding and corporate leadership.

Through Highmark Healthy High 5, the Foundation affirms its commitment to support initiatives and programs aimed to improve community health.

Highmark Healthy High 5 aims to do three main things:

• Raise awareness — Communicate the importance of children's health promotion through media, marketing and events. Convene experts to share and disseminate best practices.
• Change behavior — Build upon current programs such as the Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grant program, Highmark Healthy High 5 SPARK Active Recreation and Highmark Healthy High 5 Health eTools for Schools that promote positive health habits in children. Provide grants to evidence based programs that make a meaningful impact on the issue of children's health promotion.
• Create supportive environments — Engage and educate the community on how to develop healthy environments for children and adolescents in schools and homes. Provide grants to initiatives that create environments which encourage and support healthy habits in children.

Partnerships

Highmark Healthy High 5 has developed partnerships with several nonprofit organizations that have expertise in one or more of the sub-issues within children's health promotion. These signature nonprofit partners will provide programming as well as strategic counsel to help ensure the effectiveness and overall impact of Highmark Healthy High 5.

The Highmark Healthy High 5 partners include:

• PANA (Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity)
• Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center
• SPARK Active Recreation
• Office of Community Health, Conemaugh Health System
• Highmark Caring Place
• InnerLink — Health eTools for Schools
• Heartwood Institute
• KidShape Foundation

For more information about our partners and their programs, visit our Partners page.