INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Sullivan 180’s Empowering a Healthier Generation (EHG) team took the national stage at the American School Health Association’s (ASHA) 100th annual conference, “sharing how a rural New York county is transforming school wellness through partnerships, student leadership and sustainable systems change,” the organization wrote. 

For the second consecutive year, ASHA selected EHG to present. “From Practice to Policy: How Wellness Initiatives Transform School Culture and Systems” highlighted Sullivan 180’s Empowering a Healthier Generation model and “its success in moving school wellness beyond individual initiatives and compliance requirements toward lasting changes in school culture.”

The team emphasized that sustainable change requires more than funding individual projects; it depends on leadership commitment, community collaboration, student participation and systems that support long-term success.

“The frameworks and best practices for creating healthier schools already exist. The challenge is turning that knowledge into action and making it sustainable,” said Meaghan Mullally-Gorr, Sullivan 180’s director of health and wellness. “Our experience in Sullivan County demonstrates what is possible when schools, community partners, and students work together. When young people have a meaningful voice in shaping the policies and practices that affect them, we move beyond individual programs and begin creating lasting change.”

Team members Mullally-Gorr, Christy TerBush, Barbara Weinstein and Stacey Trinidad participated.

Learn more at www.Sullivan180.org or www.Facebook.com/Sullivan180inc.