LOCAL IMPACT
Health & Wellness
We advance knowledge to create healthy communities.
Here in Arizona, Advance Community lives out its global mission close to home, helping underserved Latino families across Maricopa County live healthier, more hopeful lives.
Since 2000, we’ve reached more than 50,000 children, adults, and seniors with health education, fresh meals, and tools to prevent disease and build lasting wellness.
Rooted in equity and trust, our programs meet people where they are, taught in participants’ native language and shaped by cultural understanding. From nutrition to chronic disease prevention to community connection, Advance Community helps at-risk youth, isolated seniors, and families in need gain knowledge, build opportunity, and create stronger neighborhoods for a healthier future.
Programs for Adults and Seniors
2045 served in 2025
Salud con Sabor Latino (SSL)
Empowering Healthy Lifestyles in the Latino Community
This engaging program (translated Health with a Latin Flavor) brings wellness to life through food, culture, and community. In this eight-session series, adults gather and learn to make informed food choices, manage portions, read nutrition labels, and adopt healthier eating habits through hands-on cooking demonstrations. Taught in participants’ native language and using culturally familiar recipes, classes create a practical, supportive space for learning. With new skills and confidence, participants inspire healthier choices at home and lay the groundwork for wellness that lasts for generations.
Diabetes Empowerment Education Program (DEEP™)
Empowering Diabetes Management
We help adults to learn to manage diabetes, prevent complications, and take control of their health through this proven program licensed by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Workshops teach participants practical skills to monitor their condition, make informed food and lifestyle choices, and improve their long-term health. With diabetes rates on the rise, the program’s blend of education and peer support provides knowledge and confidence, putting people on the path to prevention and a healthier future.
Pláticas
Empowering Communities Through Preventive Health Education
We help adults build a foundation for lifelong wellness through knowledge. In engaging 30- to 60-minute sessions, community members take part in interactive presentations and discussions on practical topics like managing blood pressure and cholesterol, staying hydrated, reducing stress, understanding breast health, and making smarter food choices. Each session is taught in participants’ native language and tailored to local needs, creating a dynamic learning environment that inspires confidence and action. Whether it’s young adults learning to read nutrition labels or seniors exploring stress management techniques, participants gain the tools to make informed choices, build healthier habits, and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Stronger Together
Connecting Families to the Resources They Need Most
This new initiative is aimed at deepening connections with trusted community partners to ensure local families have access to the resources they need to thrive. We believe stronger communities are built through collaboration, and by working alongside local organizations, we expand what’s possible and ensure more families receive the help they deserve.
Created to respond to needs that extend beyond our direct services, Stronger Together meets monthly to bridge those gaps through partnerships that bring relevant resources, expert guidance, and practical help to those who need it most.
We know it’s hard to focus on health when facing other urgent concerns. By connecting individuals and families to services that offer relief for urgent and everyday needs, this program helps reduce barriers, ease burdens, and build a foundation for healthier, more resilient families and communities.
Programs for Youth and Teens
3514 served in 2025
Oral Health Education
Learning with a Smile – Healthy Habits Start Here
We lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles by helping children in grades 3-8 build strong oral hygiene habits that last. In fun, hands-on sessions, children learn how caring for their mouths keeps their whole body healthy and why brushing, flossing, and protecting their teeth matter.
Each child receives a Smile Bag with an age-appropriate toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss to encourage good habits at home. For younger students, we bring learning to life through demonstrations using our oversized model mouth, turning education into fun experiences that makes lessons stick.
By preventing cavities and dental emergencies before they start, we help families avoid costly treatments and empower kids to take charge of their health. When children understand the “why” behind oral care, they grow up making healthier choices that last a lifetime.
I Choose Wellness (ICW)
Inspiring Healthy Choices for Life
Students in grades 3–8 take charge of their physical, emotional, and social well-being through fun, hands-on learning that makes wellness simple and engaging. Students enjoy fun activities like preparing nutritious snacks, and they practice resilience strategies, learning how everyday choices can support long, healthy lives.
Lessons cover the five food groups, reading nutrition labels, preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, and strengthening emotional health. By teaching practical skills in a relatable way, we help students build lasting habits that reduce future health risks and encourage a culture of self-care from an early age.
Show Up!
Shaping the Future of Public Health
This dynamic training program prepares high school students in Maricopa County to become the next generation of public health leaders. Through hands-on learning activities, students build professional skills, earn certifications like CPR and First Aid, and explore careers in health and community advocacy.
Sessions cover topics such as public health careers, teen mental health, substance use prevention, community health data analysis, and career readiness through résumé building and mock interviews.
With ongoing alumni events and real-world projects, young people discover how social and environmental factors shape health and how they can lead positive change in their communities. Show Up! empowers young leaders to take action for healthier futures, starting with their own.
