Hello Trustees!

Today, I would like to introduce you to my student-led organization, Youth Health Initiative (YHI). Our goal is to improve the wellbeing, which includes physical, mental, and environmental health, of Cuyahoga County residents through education and outreach. Every month or two, we choose a different topic to focus on. In June, for example, we focused our efforts on mental health awareness. Volunteers helped create educational posts focusing on mental health awareness, which gathered over 9,000 views on Instagram. Additionally, we hosted a volunteer event in partnership with NAMI of Greater Cleveland, where our volunteers made over 50 bracelets that were donated to patients staying at UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland. Our organization is dedicated to providing our community, as well as those in need, with quality materials, education on health topics, and hands-on volunteer opportunities.

Our organization started in October 2025, and since then, we have addressed 4 different topics relating to wellbeing, led 4 large-scale volunteer events, and amassed 36 active volunteers (schools reached include Hawken, Saint Joseph Academy, University School, Solon, Mayfield, Twinsburg, etc). To sum up our impact, our volunteers have assembled over 150 reusable menstrual kits, which were distributed to women in need through the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. In addition, we hosted an hour-long community yoga session in partnership with ZenWorks Yoga and educated community members on the connection between physical and mental health. Finally, our volunteers have also picked up over 30 pounds of trash and plastic at Edgewater Park, improving environmental conditions for hundreds of visitors.

Our goal for the year is to host 4 additional community health initiatives, expand to over 50 active volunteers, establish 5 new community partnerships, and provide health education and resources to at least 500 Cuyahoga County residents.