Welcome to the Health Bodies Healthy Minds Institute Conference

About The Institute

Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Institute ("HBHM" or "The Institute") is an annual conference designed to nurture the interdisciplinary roles of educators, administrators, and researchers in fostering school environments that promote wellness as a core component of school culture, student achievement, and student, staff, and community well-being.  

2025 Date, Location, and Theme 

Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds conference is scheduled for August 5, 2025.  The 2025 Conference Theme is:  Holistic Wellness in Schools: Nourishing Minds and Bodies for Lifelong Success .   This year’s event will be an in-person experience.   The site for the in-person event is Montgomery County Community College, Pottstown Campus.  The conference is free to attend and professional development credit for PA educators will be provided. 

Conference Tracks

• Community Connections

• Staff and Student Wellness

• Supporting Mental Health

Track Descriptions

Presentations will promote best practices in the following areas:

• Community Connections - School and community partnerships are essential for helping students achieve at their maximum potential.  Presentations will demonstrate how schools offer a platform for partnerships with other public agencies and organizations to engage students, staff, and families in meaningful and culturally appropriate ways to actively support youth development and learning.  

• Supporting Mental Health – Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. 

• Staff and Student Wellness  - Eating a nutritious, balanced diet and being physically active are two of the most important things one can do to be and stay healthy at any age.   Presentations in this track will address food access and security for students, integrate practices to nurture and integrate physical activity into learning strategies and provide knowledge and best practices for healthy living, healthy eating, and the promotion of evidence-based practices to integrate nutrition and physical activity as core components of a healthy lifestyle for students and school staff.

Meet the Sponsor

Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Institute is sponsored by the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation.  The Foundation is a community nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhances the health and wellness of area residents, providing education, funding, and programs that provide equitable access and inclusive opportunities for all residents to adopt healthy lifestyles.

The Foundation awards grants to area nonprofit organizations which use their resources and services to develop and enhance programs that support our purpose of promoting health and wellness. Grant awards are based on four key priority areas which include improvement in healthy behaviors through schools.

Since 2004, more than $12 million has been awarded to the public and private schools within the Foundation’s service area. In short, the Foundation’s role is to help area residents improve their health and well-being every day. By doing so, we are creating a more dynamic and more vibrant community in which to live now... and into the future.

Contact Us

Please direct any questions to our contact us form, and a member of the event team will respond accordingly.  

Acknowledgements

The 2025 Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Institute could not be made possible without the following individuals and organizations.  

Venue Sponsor

• Montgomery County Community College

School Wellness Initiative Sponsor

• Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board

Planning Team 

• • • Dian Winner - Pottsgrove School District

    • Ashley Griffith - Daniel Boone Area School District

    • Howard Brown - Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation (PAHWF)

    • Erin Dreisbach - Perkiomen Valley School District

    • Josh Hoyt, Ed.D. - JBCA Consulting, LLC 

    • Megan Ryan - Coventry Christian

    • Lucie Bergeyova  - Boyertown Area School District

    • Kori Wilson - Pottstown School District

    • Dr. Kelly Murray - Spring Ford School District 

    • Marisa DiChiacchio - Owen J. Roberts School District

    • Steve Anspach - Pottsgrove School District

    • Drew Brooks - Pottstown Regional Community Foundation (PRCF ) Intern

    • Cameron Waller - Pottstown Regional Community Foundation (PRCF ) Intern

Collab Facilitators and Notable Contributors

• Amy Auwaerter - Montgomery County Community College

• Christopher Wierzbowski - PRCF

• Dr. Craig Colistra - PRCF

• Dave Kraybill -  PRCF

• Mina Pomante -  PRCF

• Rose Walters -   PRCF

• Sam Mirarchi -  PRCF

• Sheri Waldman -  PRCF