Paso del Norte Health Foundation Invests in Healthy Futures

Every day when school ends, thousands of children and teens across the Paso del Norte region have an opportunity to keep learning, growing, and building healthy habits through out-of-school programs supported by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.

Since 2013, the Foundation’s Healthy Kids initiative has partnered with trusted community organizations to provide enriching out-of-school time programs where young people can explore their interests while being surrounded by trusted adults. The Foundation believes investing in young people helps build a healthy generation that will create a thriving region.

Recently, the PdNHF Board of Directors updated the Healthy Kids strategy brief to address a challenge many face today: excessive screen time.

Research shows that increased time spent online has contributed to children spending less time outdoors, being less physically active, and missing opportunities to connect with their peers in meaningful ways. In response, the Foundation is renewing its focus on something simple, yet powerful: encouraging young people to get outside, move their bodies, and engage with the physical world around them.

The Foundation remains committed to reaching children and teens ages 5-17 who may not have access to a positive activity, a trusted adult, or a safe place to spend time after school. PdNHF refers to young people without these options as disconnected youth.

Research shows that youth who participate in out-of-school programs are less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors like drug use, smoking, and gang activity, while also developing healthy behaviors that follow them into adulthood. For this reason, the Foundation prioritizes programs that intentionally recruit and engage disconnected youth.

Currently, an estimated 5,760 children and teens across El Paso, Las Cruces, Deming, and Ciudad Juárez are currently participating in safe and engaging programs supported by approximately $2 million in PdNHF Healthy Kids grants.

Whether it is biking through the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, learning to grow fruits and vegetables in Ciudad Juárez, or expressing creativity through art programs in El Paso, these programs are opening doors to healthy experiences and opportunities for young people throughout the region.

By making healthy lifestyle options easy and accessible choices, the Foundation remains committed to fulfilling the promise it made at its inception in 1995: leading, leveraging, and investing in initiatives, programs, and policies that promote health and prevent disease in the Paso del Norte region. Learn more and see the new strategic plan by clicking here.