Our Story
Remember when kids walked home from school, had a healthy snack and then ran outside to play? We do. The image of a treeswing takes us back to a time when a child soared on the swing in the backyard or biked to a neighbor’s house to play. Today there are fewer sidewalks to bike on and video games have replaced kickball as the activity of choice. Families often don’t have time to sit down to dinner together, opting instead for the drive-through at a fast food restaurant.
Founded in 2005, Treeswing believes that with your help we can bring physical activity and healthy habits back into our children’s lives.
The vision and energy behind Treeswing began in 2005 with the dedication and passion of two women committed to making a difference. Elizabeth Winstead, one of Treeswing’s co-founders, has a history of commitment to children’s health and physical activity, especially troubled and/or underserved youth. Through her work at Children’s Hospital, Elizabeth became increasingly aware of the trend toward obesity and the resulting childhood diseases linked to poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles. In pursuing her research on childhood obesity and its impact, Elizabeth came across several others who shared her deep concern about the problem and her passion for taking action, including Sarah Cavanaugh. Sarah has a lengthy history of community involvement and philanthropy, including starting new organizations to address community issues. Together these two women founded Treeswing, driven by their desire to protect and cherish childhood and to facilitate a lifetime of healthy habits and healthy families.
Treeswing’s Vision: To fight childhood obesity for healthy kids and healthy futures.
Treeswing’s Mission: To help children develop lifelong healthy habits through innovative programs and partnerships.
