Healthy young minds and bodies need proper nutrition. At Inspiring Minds, an afterschool and summer program for disadvantaged students, your gift is making sure health and wellness is both taught and experienced.

Mercy Health’s Community Outreach team provides the nutrition education. It is an essential part of your commitment to build healthier futures. Every other week, community health educator Jessica Romeo visits Inspiring Minds. She brings engaging lessons, tasting samples and even cooking and physical activity sessions.

“Because our students are getting this education now, and getting it consistently, they’ll carry it into adulthood,” says Inspiring Minds Youngstown program coordinator Tammye Hardin. “It’s helping them, their families and their future.”

Many of the students come from communities more affected by diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Nutrition education provides practical tools they can use right away.

“Healthy living is one of our core impact areas,” Tammye says. “We promote water as our drink of choice. We talk about making good decisions. But when Jessica comes in as an expert they trust, it reinforces everything in a powerful way. Sometimes hearing it from a pro makes the message stick.”

Jessica has become a consistent, trusted presence at Inspiring Minds. Her guidance doesn’t just inspire better habits, it sparks conversations at home. Students are eager to share what they learned and what new foods they’ve tried. Even staff members say they have picked up knowledge they never learned growing up.

Tammye is grateful for donors like you who make Mercy Health’s outreach programs possible.

“I can’t imagine not having this,” she says. “Your support means everything.”