Horizon Goodwill launches Healthier Futures campaign in Hagerstown

Horizon Goodwill Industries launched the Healthier Futures Campaign on Sept. 24 to support the Sylvia Frank Community Health Hub in downtown Hagerstown. The initiative is already delivering food access, workforce support, healthcare connections and youth programming, and now aims to expand that model across Washington County.

Why it matters: - The Healthier Futures Campaign is designed to address several linked barriers at once: food insecurity, healthcare access, workforce readiness and youth development. - The campaign aims to strengthen a community model that is already helping residents move toward stability and self-sufficiency in Washington County. - The effort could expand access to affordable food, coordinated care, job training and transportation support in downtown Hagerstown.

What happened: - Horizon Goodwill Industries publicly launched the Healthier Futures Campaign on Sept. 24. - The launch supports continued development of the Sylvia Frank Community Health Hub in downtown Hagerstown. - The public rollout invited residents, businesses, community leaders and supporters to join the campaign. - Horizon Goodwill directed people to learn more at Healthier Futures Hagerstown.

The details: - The Horizon Market grocery store is part of the hub and is meant to increase access to affordable, nutritious food. - Workforce development services will connect people to training, career coaching and employment opportunities. - Health and human services partners will provide coordinated care and support. - The Adolescent Clubhouse will offer young people and young adults opportunities to build life skills, develop positive relationships and pursue future goals. - Programs already operating through the hub have connected residents with healthcare services, workforce development, housing navigation support and youth programming. - The campaign also includes a planned partnership with Vehicles for Change for automotive workforce training. - That partnership is intended to help address transportation and employment barriers faced by many residents.

Between the lines: - The campaign is being framed as a built-on-success effort, not a promise based only on future construction or plans. - Horizon Goodwill and its supporters are presenting the hub as a coordinated response to multiple social needs rather than a single-service program. - The message from launch speakers was that the project’s momentum comes from a broad coalition that includes the State of Maryland, local government leaders, foundations, businesses, community organizations and private donors. - That coalition suggests the project has already moved beyond a typical early-stage fundraising push.

What's next: - Horizon Goodwill will continue building out the Sylvia Frank Community Health Hub. - The campaign will seek broader participation from the community to expand the hub’s reach and impact. - The organization plans to grow services that connect people to food, healthcare, work opportunities and youth support. - Vehicles for Change training is expected to become part of the hub’s workforce strategy.

The bottom line: - Horizon Goodwill is using the Healthier Futures Campaign to scale a multi-service community hub that is already operating and already changing access to basic supports in downtown Hagerstown.