Crow Wing Energized
A Grassroots movement to improve health and wellness in our community with a mission of
“Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice!”
Crow Wing Energized is a community-driven grassroots movement formed in 2013 with the unified goal of improving health and wellness by making healthy choices the foundation of our community. It is led by Essentia Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center and Crow Wing County Community Services, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP).
Every three years, Essentia Health conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to systematically identify, analyze, and prioritize the health needs of the community. Using the results of the CHNA to develop our strategic plan, Crow Wing Energized seeks to improve community health through collaborative solutions with multiple stakeholders, focusing on efforts that maximize impact with available resources.
Meet team who passionately works to
“Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice!”
Left to Right: Kelli Johnson, Gina Heyer, Tracy Wallin, Rena Bolt and Kara Schaefer
Gina Heyer – Crow Wing County Community Health Manager
What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d gotten sooner? Take the trip.
What’s your favorite quote? “Nothing is worth more than this day.”
Rena Bolt – Community Health Specialist
Tell us a little bit about your family? My husband, Eric, and I have been married for over 18 years. We have 4 kids: Evan (16), Clara (14), Whitney (12), and Vivian (10) and a cute mini poodle named Eddie.
What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d gotten sooner? Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.
What are you most looking forward to doing when you retire? Traveling more, working on house projects, spending more time with friends and family, reading and relaxing!
Kara Schaefer – Community Health Educator
Tell us a little bit about your family? I am the oldest of 6 children, all of our first names start with the letter K. I have four sisters and a brother.
What’s your favorite quote? “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, be kind always.” Robin Williams
Kelli Johnson – SHIP coordinator for Crow Wing County, Crow Wing Energized, and BLADE
What are you most looking forward to doing when you retire? Golf and travel
What are your favorite hobbies? Golf, lake, gym, lawn care, bingo, flowers, birds, hanging with friends & family, fishing, curling
What’s your favorite quote? “Every day above ground is a great day – remember that.” Pit Bull
Tracy Wallin – Marketing Coordinator
Tell us a little bit about your family? My husband, Rick, and I have two boys: Logan (21) and Braden (16)
What’s your favorite quote? As a former Boy Scout den leader, it’s “Leave the world a little better than you found it.”
Our Steering Committee
The Steering Committee serves as an advisory group to the Crow Wing Energized staff, providing guidance to improve health and wellness within our community.
The committee’s primary goal is to build and strengthen community support for policy, systems, and environmental changes focused on obesity prevention and tobacco control. Additionally, Crow Wing Energized works to enhance overall health and wellness through the development and execution of a county-wide strategic plan.
The Steering Committee will play a key role in implementing this plan, driven by collaborations with goal-focused groups, including Healthy Choices, Mental Well-Being, Workplace Wellness, & Community Connections.
Todd Defreece
Essentia Health
Gina Heyer
Crow Wing County
Russell Habermann
Essentia Health
Steve Barrows
Crow Wing County Commissioner
Julie Christensen
Nystrom Counseling & Essentia Health
Kathy Cottew
Essentia Health
Shane Riffle
Brainerd Family YMCA
Carolyn McQueen
University of Minnesota Extension
Renee Richardson
Brainerd Dispatch
Jessica Schwartz
Essentia Health
Teresia Mortenson
Vivie (formerly Knute Nelson)
Jane Vortherms
Essentia Health
Traci Moreland
Essentia Health
Kalsey Courneya
Sourcewell
Kari Horak
Crow Wing County
Kari Horak
Crow Wing County
Annmarie Lacher
Brainerd Public Schools
Aubrey Koop
Cuyuna Lakes Chamber of Commerce
John Higgins
Essentia Health
Erich Heppner
Central Lakes College
Jon Aga
Central Lakes College
Jami Nelson
Just Juice
Crow Wing Energized allows non-profit entities to leverage our materials for their own use under the Creative Commons Attribution – NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 international license. Materials can be modified as long as they credit Crow Wing Energized and are exclusively for non-commercial use. Please view the license summary at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode
