"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world.
In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
Founder, Kathryn Thomas (top left), was a helicopter pilot in the Navy who was injured while on deployment and medically discharged from the military, she rehabilitated and re-entered civilian life through the study and practice of Yoga. Practicing yoga helped Kathryn physically heal and made her feel peaceful and positive about her new future. She realized in that moment, that if Yoga helped her, it could help other veterans too.
Out of Kathryn’s experience and vision, in 2014 Yoga 4 Change was born. In addition to helping former military personnel, Kathryn noticed a need for mental health programs in three other underserved populations: youth, individuals who are incarcerated or justice- involved, and people with substance use disorder and other mental health conditions.
Throughout its history, Yoga 4 change has been recognized for the impact on the community in which it serves. From receiving Jacksonville’s One Spark grant in 2015 for creative community impact, support from the Chartrand Family Fund in 2016 to initiate an impact study on justice-involved populations inside correctional facilities, to pivotal multi-year support from The Florida Blue Foundation in 2018 to expand the organization across the state of Florida – Yoga 4 Change has been on an impressive journey of growth.
Today, Yoga 4 Change is a vibrant organization that sees possibilities to expand services throughout country to meet the needs of individuals, their families, and communities. Currently, the organization impacts 19,000 people annually. This represents a fraction of the need.
Celebrating Yoga 4 Change’s 10th year of serving the community and using the proof of concept developed through collected data, research studies, and testimonials, Yoga 4 Change feels confident that they have a highly effective program model. To build capacity, sustainability, and reach new populations, they will need to identify and secure additional resources and sources of support from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners.
Additional historical highlights include:
2017, Partnered with University of North Florida’s Data Science for Social Good to create a proprietary data tracking system
2020, Featured in National Geographic’s January Science and Health Magazine
2020, Maintained programs by switching from in-person to virtual
2021, Current Executive Director, Michelle LeClair, begins leadership.
2024, the team has grown to a core staff of 12 with about 100 yoga teachers providing programs in the following regions of the State of Florida: North, Central, West, and South Florida. Check out our community impact