From Big Idea to Big Impact: Our First Year @ SPHC Foundation

Written By Nia Smart

When I think back to May 2024, I see myself sitting with a notebook full of ideas and a bank account with exactly zero dollars dedicated to SPHC Foundation. I had a vision for what I wanted to build: spaces where people could breathe, learn, and feel seen while talking about health, joy, and real life. What I did not have was funding. What I did have was community.

Asking for help has never been my favorite thing. But 2024 became my “just do it” year. I sent a few honest text messages to friends and family, shared the vision, and invited them to be part of it. Within two days, over $2,000 came in. I was blown away. Those gifts, plus our first sponsorship from a community partner, gave SPHC Foundation the launchpad we needed for our first official event: Health Hustle Game Night.

If you were in the room that night, you know it was more than games. It was laughter, movement, health education, and people reconnecting with their own wellness in a way that felt fun and accessible. That early support stretched and stretched—I made every dollar work. Those first funds helped us host three community events at no cost to attendees, including a little idea that turned into something powerful: Minding Your Holiday Joy.

Minding Your Holiday Joy was born out of conversations with people who were feeling the weight of the holidays: lingering COVID-19 concerns, travel challenges, shifting family dynamics, and traditions that no longer felt the same. I wanted to create a space where people could give themselves permission to find peace in new traditions, honor what they were grieving, and still experience joy. That pilot workshop reminded me exactly why SPHC Foundation exists: to make wellness practical, compassionate, and community-centered.

That pilot, along with the trust and support of family, friends, and partners, helped us do something huge: in January 2025, SPHC Foundation received a $10,000 grant from Amazon Web Services to expand our work. That funding allowed us to create the Nurturing Joy Wellness Workshop Series—six mental wellness workshops designed for Fairfax County residents. We wrapped the series in August 2025, and those sessions were full of intentional conversations, practical tools, and curriculum designed to meet people where they are.

Since then, my team and I have been in deep debrief mode: reviewing feedback, looking at the data, and listening to the stories participants shared. They want more, and we’re going to do our part to provide more workshops for them to attend. Their words affirmed what I’ve believed from the beginning: when you create safe, joyful, and intentional spaces, people show up as themselves, and real change can happen. That’s the heartbeat of the SPHC Foundation. If you want to hear what our attendees had to say, check out our latest Nurturing Joy Wellness Workshop impact report.

When I design workshops at SPHC Foundation, my goal is simple: make learning about health feel easy, practical, and yes, even fun! Our ready‑made workshops help people understand their health and leave with actionable tools for self‑care and overall well‑being.

Today, I’m proud to say that SPHC Foundation has reached over 200 community members in under a year through fun, intentional curriculum design and wellness workshops. And now, we have a new way to tell that story: our website is officially live. This site is a home for our mission, our ready-made workshops, and our growing impact. It’s also a place where partners can see exactly how we can collaborate to bring these experiences to their communities.

Launching this website on Giving Tuesday feels symbolic. This entire journey has been powered by generosity—of time, money, encouragement, and trust. None of this would exist without the people who said “yes” when SPHC Foundation was just an idea and a Google Doc.

As the founder, I am deeply grateful and also very clear: we are just getting started.

This Giving Tuesday, we’re aiming to raise $15,000 to host 6 more mental wellness and health literacy workshops at no cost to attendees in 2026. These funds will help us:

  • Keep workshops free and accessible.

  • Expand to more communities across the DMV and beyond. They’ve made it clear: they want more.

  • Move from an all-volunteer structure toward sustainable support so we can keep showing up well for our participants.

If you’ve ever attended a workshop, shared a post, sent an encouraging text, or believed in this work from the sidelines—thank you. Your support has carried us here. If you’re just learning about SPHC Foundation today, welcome. There’s room for you in this story.

I’d love for you to:

And because joy is still at the center of everything we do, stay tuned and mark your calendar: on 12/13 we’ll be hosting a Minding Your Holiday Joy Workshop sponsored by ​Andrews Federal Credit Union​! We're excited—more details to come, but just know—you’re invited.

From my heart to yours,


Nia Smart
Founder, SPHC Foundation

Nia Smart
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Sharing What Works: My 5 Mental Wellness Favorites