activities · 12
what they do
direct service · 11
- Conduct fundraising events beyond StepAThon Charity Sports & Recreation TournamentsOrganizes additional fundraising events such as a charity golf outing in Columbus, Ohio, held on September 11th, 2022, to support program operations.
- Deliver The LifeStar Challenge™ program to prevent childhood obesity Childhood Obesity Prevention ProgramsDelivers "The LifeStar Challenge" program to schools and after-school programs nationwide, developed in partnership with health care organizations to prevent childhood obesity. The program has served over 75,000 children cumulatively since inception, with approximately 15,000 children served in the current year.
- Deliver childhood obesity prevention programs Childhood Obesity Prevention ProgramsImplements "The LifeStar Challenge" program in schools and after-school programs nationwide to prevent childhood obesity, serving approximately 15,000 children annually and over 75,000 cumulatively since inception. The program is developed and refined in partnership with health care organizations.
- Delivery of The LifeStar Challenge™ program to youth settings Childhood Obesity Prevention ProgramsDelivers "The LifeStar Challenge" program to schools and after-school programs nationwide, developed in partnership with health care organizations to prevent childhood obesity. The program has served over 75,000 children cumulatively since inception, including approximately 15,000 in the current year.
- Operation of StepAThon events for fundraising and physical activity promotion Youth Running & Fitness ChallengesOrganizes StepAThon events, including a week-long virtual competition that challenges individuals, families, and teams to take steps and raise funds. The 2025 event featured children averaging over 40,000 steps each, with proceeds directed to support The LifeStar Challenge™ program.
- Organize StepAThon events for fundraising and physical activity promotion Youth Running & Fitness ChallengesHosts annual StepAThon events, including a week-long virtual competition, to encourage physical activity and raise funds that directly support The LifeStar Challenge program. In 2025, participating children averaged over 40,000 steps each.
- Organize StepAThon events to promote physical activity and raise funds Youth Running & Fitness ChallengesOrganizes StepAThon events, including a week-long virtual competition that challenges individuals, families, and teams to take the most steps and raise money. The 2025 event featured children averaging over 40,000 steps each, with funds directed to support The LifeStar Challenge™ program.
- Provide free at-home and group-based healthy lifestyle resources Digital Health Education for YouthOffers the HealthyLifeStarsAtHome™ program with worksheets, parent guides, video challenges, recipes, and physical activity ideas for families, and the HealthyLifeStars4Groups™ program with educational materials and virtual lessons for schools, after-school programs, faith-based organizations, and other youth-serving groups. Also maintains a free online resource library with activities, recipes, worksheets, parent guides, and videos.
- Provide free online health and wellness resources for families and groups Digital Health Education for YouthOffers free digital programs including HealthyLifeStarsAtHome™ and HealthyLifeStars4Groups™, which provide worksheets, parent guides, videos, healthy recipes, and physical activity ideas for use by families and youth-serving organizations such as schools, faith-based groups, and recreational centers.
- Provision of home-based and group-based healthy living resources Digital Health Education for YouthOffers the HealthyLifeStarsAtHome™ program with worksheets, parent guides, video challenges, recipes, and physical activity ideas for families, as well as the HealthyLifeStars4Groups™ program with educational materials and virtual lessons for schools, after-school programs, faith-based organizations, and other youth-serving groups. Also maintains a free online resource library accessible to the public.
- Recognize champions and supportersHosts recognition events such as the 7th Annual StepUp4Kids Celebration, where Dr. Melanie Russell was announced as the 2021 Champion.
capacity building · 1
- Leadership and organizational capacity developmentEngages in organizational capacity building through leadership appointments and program development, including the appointment of Aaron Nicholson as Executive Director and the ongoing refinement of The LifeStar Challenge™ program.
strategies · 19
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Community engagement through step challenges community_step_challengeUses participatory step challenges in both virtual and in-person formats to promote physical activity while simultaneously engaging communities in fundraising, combining health promotion with collective action.
- Empowering children through culinary education empowering_kids_in_the_kitchenThe organization empowers children to develop good lifelong eating habits by involving them in the kitchen and teaching them how to cook nutritious foods.
- Evidence-based childhood obesity prevention evidence-based_preventionImplements the LifeStar Challenge™ program using an evidence-based approach to prevent childhood obesity, targeting modifiable risk factors through structured health promotion.
- Evidence-based childhood obesity prevention through school and youth organization partnerships evidence_based_preventionHEALTHY LIFESTARS utilizes an evidence-based program delivered through schools and youth-serving organizations to prevent childhood obesity, aiming to reduce per-child costs and instill lifelong healthy habits through early education in fitness, nutrition, and goal-setting.
- Holistic daily health practices promotion health_promotionEncourages a comprehensive approach to child well-being by promoting daily vigorous exercise, flexibility and strength training, heart health, hydration, limited screen time, and sufficient sleep as interconnected components of a healthy lifestyle.
- Holistic daily health promotion health_promotionPromotes a comprehensive approach to children's health by encouraging daily vigorous exercise, flexibility and strength activities, heart-healthy movement, hydration, limited screen time, and sufficient sleep as interconnected components of well-being.
- Holistic health education and habit formation habit_buildingThe organization promotes a holistic approach to physical activity and nutrition, educating individuals on healthy eating guidelines and encouraging daily vigorous exercise, flexibility, strength, and heart health activities, adequate hydration, limited screen time, and sufficient sleep. This is achieved by focusing on building "tiny habits" to help children learn, practice, experience, and commit to healthy life habits.
- Nutrition education and kitchen empowerment nutrition educationEducates children and families on healthy eating through specific dietary guidelines and by empowering children to cook nutritious foods, reinforcing lifelong eating habits through hands-on learning.
- Online resource delivery for accessibility online_resource_deliveryThe organization organizes resources into online programs to provide virtual access to families and groups of children, enhancing accessibility to their health initiatives.
- Participatory step challenges for community engagement and fundraising community_step_challengeUses step challenges in both physical and virtual formats to simultaneously promote physical activity and drive fundraising, engaging communities through gamified, collective action.
- School- and youth-based delivery for scalable prevention school-based_deliveryDelivers the LifeStar Challenge™ program through schools and youth-serving organizations to reduce per-child costs and increase reach, leveraging existing community infrastructure to scale evidence-based obesity prevention.
- School- and youth-based program delivery school-based_deliveryDelivers the LifeStar Challenge™ program through schools and youth-serving organizations to reduce per-child costs and increase accessibility, leveraging existing community infrastructure to scale impact efficiently.
- Story-based impact communication to inspire engagement story-based impact communicationUses individual beneficiary stories to demonstrate program impact and motivate participation, translating outcomes into relatable narratives for stakeholders.
- Structured nutrition education with actionable guidelines nutrition_educationProvides clear, practical nutrition guidelines—such as eating a healthy breakfast, consuming all food groups, limiting sugars, and drinking water—to teach individuals how to eat right and make sustainable dietary choices.
- Virtual and community-based participatory challenges for engagement community_step_challengeHEALTHY LIFESTARS engages communities and individuals in physical activity and fundraising through participatory step challenges and virtual competition formats, leveraging these mechanisms to encourage participation and support.
- Virtual program delivery for broad access online resource deliveryProvides virtual access to health programs through organized online resources and competitions, enabling participation by families and children regardless of geographic location.
- Virtual program delivery for broad family and group access online_resource_deliveryOffers online programs and virtual resources to increase accessibility for families and children, enabling remote participation in health promotion activities regardless of location.
- Youth-focused health education and habit formation habit-buildingFocuses on early education in fitness, nutrition, and goal-setting to instill lifelong healthy habits, using "tiny habits" to help children adopt and commit to three core behaviors: being active, eating right, and building self-efficacy.
- Youth-focused health education for lifelong habit formation youth_health_educationTargets children with early education in fitness, nutrition, and goal-setting, emphasizing "tiny habits" and active participation (e.g., in cooking) to instill three core healthy life habits: being active, eating right, and self-efficacy.
named programs · 2
what they call their work
LifeStar Challenge
Educational program delivered through schools and youth organizations to help kids adopt fitness, nutrition, and goal-setting habits.
StepAThon
A week-long virtual competition encouraging participants to take steps and raise funds to support healthy habits for children.
relationships · 7
who they work with
- CARES Mentoring Movement Partner — Former employer of Aaron Nicholson, the new Executive Director of Healthy LifeStars.
- Central Cares, Inc. Partner — Won the 2025 Healthy LifeStars StepAThon.
- Emmanuel Christian Academy Partner — A student from this academy was recognized as a LifeStar Kid of the month.
- Ohio Hispanic Coalition (OHC) Partner — Original and valued partner of Healthy LifeStars of Ohio, aiming to improve the well-being of the Hispanic/Latino community.
- Ohio State University Partner — Nursing students from the university served as LifeStar Coaches of the month.
- University of Iowa Partner — Provided coaches to support kids in the 2025 Healthy LifeStars StepAThon.
- leading health care organizations Partner — Collaborated to develop, evaluate, and refine the LifeStar Challenge™ program