April 29, 2025, Healthy Savannah observed its 18th anniversary on April 29 at the Charles H. Morris Center in Savannah. The non-profit organization is known locally and nationally for championing a culture of health in Savannah and Chatham County by fostering programs and promoting environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice.

During the breakfast event held every other year with its collaborative network of local partners to celebrate the milestones making Savannah a healthier place to live and work, Healthy Savannah bestowed its 2025 Health Innovation Award to St. Philip AME Church.

“We’re long-time partners with St. Philip AME Church, and we constantly look for opportunities to collaborate more,” said Armand Turner, Healthy Savannah’s executive director. “They did a phenomenal job over the past year putting action to their FAN training program and we’re proud they were selected for this award by the Healthy Savannah Board.”

St Philip AME Church was founded in 1865. In 2019, its members and leadership established the Faith, Activity and Nutrition (FAN) Ministry. The church also hosts a growing number of health-focused events, including an annual health fair.

These nominees for the 2025 Health Innovation Award were also recognized for their significant contributions to Healthy Savannah: Naturals2Go, Memorial Health, The Tiny Beet and Dance Savannah Elite.

Healthy Savannah additionally presented the Dennis Hutton Spirit Award in support of a community or school garden to the Holly Heights Community Garden. Anthony Lonon, neighborhood president, received the award on behalf of the grassroots organization. Hutton, who passed away in 2022, was well known for contributing his time and talent over the past decade to Healthy Savannah, Savannah Urban Garden Alliance, Mixed Greens and the Forsyth Farmers Market.

“Racial equity is not about excluding other groups, it is about transforming behaviors,” said Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD, during his keynote address to the approximately 130 partners and advocates gathered for the event.

Brown is the founder & CEO of Equitable Cities, a minority- and veteran-owned urban planning, public policy and research firm focused at the intersection of transportation, health and equity. Brown is also an adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

“Urban planning has been weaponized as a tool of oppression within society,” said Brown, noting a situation he calls “highway robbery,” where historically Black communities have been divided by road construction projects, such as the I-16 flyover into downtown Savannah. Brown also pointed out how racial residential segregation continues to prevail in major cities such as Atlanta, Detroit and Washington D.C. but said this is the time to look at zoning and land use policies and do something about those disparities.

“History doesn’t say goodbye,” Brown said. “History says see you later. I came here because I believe in the collective power here, because I believe Savannah’s future is different than its past.”

Founded in 2007, as an initiative of City of Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, PhD, Healthy Savannah has built a collaborative network of partnerships and led initiatives to create environments that make a healthy choice the easy choice.

“Healthy Savannah has broadened to include so many different things we didn’t even think about when we were creating this organization,” said Johnson. “It’s just so wonderful after 18 years that it’s going strong and growing.”

Some of the milestones Healthy Savannah has championed or developed over the years include:

• 2011: Supported the “Breathe Easy Savannah" campaign, which resulted in the passage of Savannah’s Smoke-Free Air Act of 2010 ordinance, which prohibits smoking in restaurants and stores. This has led to a significant reduction in heart attacks reported in the community since the ordinance’s implementation.

• 2014: After being awarded the Healthcare Georgia Foundation’s Childhood Obesity Grant, supported healthier meals in local schools, recognizing that giving children a healthier start in life leads to better long-term health outcomes and a stronger, more vibrant community.

• 2014: Launched the Faith and Health Coalition to support Chatham County’s faith-based organizations as they encourage a culture of health among their members and the community; began offering the annual Faith Walk in 2023, featuring health resources and giveaways, and fun games for kids.

• 2015: Supported the passing of the Complete Streets ordinances in Savannah and unincorporated Chatham County; partnering with Friends of the Tide to Town in support of Savannah and Chatham County’s Urban Trail System; and championing the construction of the Truman Linear Park Trail, at the heart of Savannah and Chatham County’s Urban Trail System.

• 2018 & 2023: With partners including the YMCA of Coastal Georgia and the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, Healthy Savannah was awarded more than $9 million in grant funding for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health grants by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to seek upstream solutions to public health challenges.

• 2020: Launched “Healthy Walks” during the early days of COVID isolation. The popular walks continue to be a healthy way to explore parks and trails and meet new friends.

• 2021: Launched the Community Health Advocate program, which mobilizes members of the community to discuss and share information about adult vaccination in the neighborhoods, churches, jobs, and areas where they live, work, or volunteer. This nationally recognized flagship program has produced 100+ graduates and continues to grow in scope and outreach.

• 2022: Was awarded the CDC’s REACH Lark Galloway-Gilliam Award for Advancing Health Equity Challenge in recognition of Healthy Savannah’s positive strides to make the healthy choice the easy choice in priority communities. The award recognizes extraordinary individuals and entities whose work has contributed to advancing health equity.

• 2023: Redeveloped and then relaunched the Savannah Chatham Food Policy Council to educate Chatham County residents, shape public policy, and bring the community together.

• 2024: Through a one-year grant provided by CHC: Creating Healthier Communities to elevate awareness of the HPV vaccine and its prevention interventions for certain cancers, Healthy Savannah focused on public education, offering numerous public listening sessions, round table discussions and training opportunities in HPV awareness methodologies. Funding from the grant also allowed vaccines to be administered to patients at no cost.

• 2025: Launched “Breastfeeding Welcome Here,” a program to recognize breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, medical offices and retail spaces.

 The biennial event also allowed the outgoing chair, Blake Caldwell, MD, to hand over the gavel to the incoming chairperson, Thomas Bullock, PhD.

“We have some pillars that we need to focus on over the next year, but the biggest part is to get more of the community involved in supporting the organization because the organization is supporting the community,” said Bullock.

The non-profit also announced its new slate of executive board members: Joining Chairman Bullock are Nick Deffley, MS, vice chair; Pastor Yolonda Roberson, treasurer; Cheri Dean, secretary; and Tiffoni Buckle-McCartney, member at large.

The organization additionally welcomed new board members Jennifer Davenport and Mary Arocha. It recognized Dr. Blake Caldwell for her leadership as the outgoing chair of the organization, along with retiring board members Krystal McGee, Rev. Marvin Lloyd, and Keon Green.

A healthy breakfast was served by the Southern Palate.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD, is the founder and principal of Equitable Cities, a minority- and veteran-owned urban planning, public policy and research firm focused at the intersection of transportation, health and equity. He is also an adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

Brown is an award-winning expert in planning and policy and has been interviewed by several notable outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, VICE and Bloomberg CityLab. He is highly regarded as a keynote speaker and leads workshops on transportation, health and equity for audiences worldwide.

Having previously served as a senior researcher with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University, Brown authored several groundbreaking national and local studies that redefined how experts analyze the role of race and racism in transportation and mobility. In 2020, he was part of the inaugural class of the Public Voices Fellowship on the Climate Crisis, which is managed by the Yale School of the Environment.

As a military veteran and a recipient of the Mississippi Commendation Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Brown has a Master of Public Administration degree and graduate certificate in urban and regional planning from the University of Central Florida, where he received the 2020 Alumni Achievement Award for Public Administration. He also has a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from Belhaven College, where he received the James W. Park Academic Achievement Award. He is a certified instructor with the League of American Bicyclists, received a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Professional Designation (CPD) from the National Institute on Crime Prevention and is also a proud and active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

PAST HEALTH INNOVATION AWARDS RECIPIENTS:
2023: Loop it Up Savannah
2021: Nandi Marshall, PhD: Savannah H.O.P.E Project (Breastfeeding)
2019: Everybody Eats Fresh Free Fridays
2017: Savannah Bicycle Campaign – New Standard Cycles Program
2015: Forsyth Farmers Market