Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) is proud to announce that the Healthy Kids Health on the Move for Equity (H.O.M.E.) Program has been awarded the Community Engaged Research Award (CERA) by Lakehead University. This prestigious recognition is part of the 2025 Research & Innovation Awards of Excellence, and highlights research partnerships that create meaningful, positive impacts in the community through collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
The Healthy Kids H.O.M.E. Program is a joint initiative led by TBDHU, Our Kids Count, The City of Thunder Bay Recreation and Culture Division, and Lakehead University’s School of Kinesiology. Together, these core partners have worked to provide accessible, community-driven programs for children and families in the Windsor Street, Academy Heights, Minnesota Park, and Westfort neighbourhoods.
The H.O.M.E. Program was launched in 2020 with a focus on improving health and well-being in equity-deserving neighbourhoods by addressing key barriers such as cost, childcare, and transportation. Since its launch, the program has had more than 20,000 participants (children and adults) in over 2,000 health and wellness events. The H.O.M.E. Program has been made possible by grant funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and in-kind contributions from community partners.
The CERA recognizes projects that integrate community involvement with research to drive positive change. The H.O.M.E. Program exemplifies this by blending academic expertise with grassroots programming, ensuring that research and practice work hand in hand to support the needs of Thunder Bay families.
For more information about the Healthy Kids H.O.M.E. Program, visit www.healthykidstbay.ca.
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“This award highlights how important it is to connect research with real community needs. By working closely with our partners and listening to families, we’ve been able to offer programs and services that truly make a difference, making health and wellness more accessible for everyone.”
- Rachel Globensky Bayes, Program Coordinator, TBDHU
“Not only has this project impacted those in our community positively, it has united service providers citywide around a shared goal – enhancing children’s health and well-being. Community-based research not only harnesses everyone’s strengths and perspectives, it promotes partnerships that amplify impact. For H.O.M.E., this means keeping children and families at the heart of it all.”
- Dr. Erin Pearson, Principal Investigator and Lead Evaluator, H.O.M.E. Program