Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On behalf of everyone at Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F. ^®), I'd like to thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of our organization. As we reflect on last year's accomplishments and begin our journey into 2007, it is with great enthusiasm and exuberance that we share our new organizational focus and vision with you.

In 1974, a group of dedicated health educators founded C.H.E.F. with the following mission:

C.H.E.F.'s mission is to help people and communities improve the quality of their lives through health education.

We've remained steadfast in this mission for more than 30 years, with a promise to provide the skills, information, and resources that are essential to living safe, healthy lives. Through a combination of clear vision, strong leadership, passionate staff, collaborative partners, and a highly committed board of directors, we've directly benefited the health and well-being of millions of people. As we look to the future, we're committed to helping millions more in the coming years.

At the forefront of C.H.E.F.'s mission is a desire to continually evolve and improve our programs, services, and products in ways that seek to meet the ever-changing needs of the communities we serve. Coupled with our unique application of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, we firmly believe that change and reinvention are essential to the long-term vitality and health of our organization. Our adherence to these operating principles has helped shape C.H.E.F.'s development as a unique and sustainable nonprofit.

We are pleased to announce an evolution in our focus that is consistent with our mission and addresses one of the most important health education issues facing our society today. With the tremendous need for health and prevention education among our country's underserved populations, we have redefined our organizational focus as follows:

C.H.E.F. will focus its resources on health education to help prevent and reduce major health inequities across ethnic, racial, and income groups.

Driving our new focus to prevent and reduce health inequities is C.H.E.F.'s new vision for the future:

C.H.E.F.'s vision for the future is that all people have an equal opportunity for health.

C.H.E.F. will mobilize its collective skills, talent, and abilities to address this critical and pressing health issue in an innovative and exciting new way. We will support and empower health and human service organizations in their efforts to prevent and reduce health inequities within their own communities, utilizing three divisions within C.H.E.F. to provide programs, services, and products:

·     Philanthropy: Offers grant-making and partnerships to organizations in need of funding and services aimed at preventing and reducing health inequities.

·     Public Policy: Assists organizations in becoming more effective advocates for change in their efforts to prevent and reduce health inequities.

·     MissionWise^®: Provides training, mentoring, and consulting to help organizations build their capacity to better deliver services and become more sustainable, thereby improving their ability to prevent and reduce health inequities. www.missionwise.org

We'll be in good company as we seek to prevent and reduce health inequities in the world around us. Collaboration with like-minded agencies, organizations, and individuals has always been a part of what we do at C.H.E.F., and we will continue to forge creative partnerships.

C.H.E.F.'s promise for the future is to provide resources, connections, and support to the people who need it most, so they can live healthier lives and build healthier communities. Ultimately, we aspire to help build a world where all people have an equal opportunity for health.

We will continue to keep you informed about our exciting changes at C.H.E.F. in the coming months, and hope you'll periodically visit www.chef.org to learn more about the many ways that C.H.E.F. delivers on this promise.

Healthy regards,

Larry Clark
President and CEO
Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F.)