Dear Valued Partners –
Since our founding in 2009, LiveWell Colorado’s core purpose as an organization has been to advance healthy eating and active living in Colorado. Like any nonprofit, we’ve evolved over time as we’ve gained a better understanding of where our work is most impactful and as we have heard from communities what they need. As such, we are excited to share our evolved mission and vision at LiveWell Colorado, which more accurately reflect what we do, why we do it, and for whom.
Vision: All Coloradans live in environments with equitable access to the nourishing food and physical activity they need to be healthy.
Mission: LiveWell Colorado increases access to healthy eating and active living by removing barriers that inequitably and disproportionately affect low-income communities and people of color.
These statements have been informed by and will be executed with updated Goals and Values, which are grounded in an understanding that not all Coloradans have equal access and opportunities to be healthy due to policies, environments, and systems that perpetuate inequalities by income, place, and race. Therefore, LiveWell focuses on changing these systems in order to create opportunities for health and wellness in partnership with communities and individuals who face systemic and institutional barriers to a healthy lifestyle: low-income communities and people of color in urban, suburban, and rural parts of our state.
LiveWell was founded to focus on obesity. If successful, our work will lead to many benefits in the prevention of chronic disease, including obesity but also related issues such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. We are not lessening our commitment to the prevention and reduction of obesity, but focusing our work firmly upstream. Working in partnership with organizations, advocates, schools, municipalities, and communities, LiveWell aims to achieve three strategic goals: 1) build a sustainable, equitable, and health-promoting food environment; 2) advance sustainable and equitable access to biking and walking; and, 3) advance equitable access to physical activity opportunities across Colorado schools and communities.
Thank you for your ongoing support in this important work.
Sincerely,
Gabriel Guillaume
President and CEO, LiveWell Colorado
