Our Mission

Pioneering a Healthier Marshall supports the development of a healthier community environment by encouraging balanced lifestyles including improving health, embracing diversity, and increasing the activity of the citizenry which will lead to Marshall, MN being a community of choice with a thriving economy.

About Us

Pioneering a Healthier Marshall is a community-based coalition that is part of a national YMCA initiative, YMCA Activate America: Pioneering Healthier Communities. It is based on proven community models that are successful in creating sustained community-wide improvements in health, particularly combating obesity and inactivity. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) serves as the National Chair. Funding for 2006 – 2007 comes from a one-time grant of $1.4 million through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently there are 48 communities in the United States participating in this initiative. YMCAs applied and were chosen through a competitive process. Thirteen communities launched in 2004, 22 in 2005, and an additional 13 in 2006. Marshall was one of the 22 launched at the end of 2005.

The Marshall Area YMCA put together an outstanding leadership team (list attached) that has been working for the past year gathering and synthesizing information which resulted in developing two areas of focus for our future work. Our information gathering process included mini-SWOT analyses both with our leadership team, and through a community meeting held in March. We have also reviewed data compiled by other sources including Marshalls’ Community Survey conducted by St. Paul’s Neighborhood House. Our team is following a proven model on sustainable community change, "Facilitating Community Change" (2000, Ayre, Clough & Norris).