Part 2: Close-Up Talk Radio spotlights Heartland Foundation

St. Joseph, MO – For nearly 20 years, Heartland Foundation has created opportunities for healthier, more livable communities. A region-wide endeavor, Heartland Foundation’s role is to serve as a catalyst, bringing people and organizations together to affect positive change in their communities.

“We’re really looking at how you build healthier communities in the broadest sense,” says Judith Sabbert, chief operating officer of Heartland Foundation. “We’re inviting people from all walks of life to be involved in the critical conversations about their community.”

Heartland Foundation is committed to find long-term solutions, creating better health for the 30-county region it serves. Through collaborative-based programs, Heartland Foundation has taken a leading role in efforts to improve health and quality of life.

“Our role is to facilitate these discussions and invite the important questions,” says Sabbert. “In every community we find people who are passionate about their communities and understand it requires everyone working together to create new opportunities.”

When engaging these communities, Heartland Foundation has found it’s most effective to engage young people.

“We believe our role is to change the culture, so it made sense for us to focus on young people,” says Sabbert. “When we brought them to the table, they had extraordinary ideas.

From this process, Heartland Foundation developed its flagship program emPowerU, an experiential learning center dedicated to promoting civic engagement.

For more information about Heartland Foundation, visit www.heartlandfoundation.org.