35 Years of Healthy Minds &
Healthy Bodies

For over 35 years, the Poe Center has empowered over 1.75 million children, youth, and adults across North Carolina to make healthy choices for healthier lives. Our programs inspire lasting choices for mental and physical well-being — from moving more and eating better to managing stress and building positive relationships. Join us in celebrating this important milestone and help shape the next chapter of a healthier North Carolina.

Our Impact
Then & Now
Join the Celebration
Bring These Kids to Poe

35 Years of Impact

1,750,000

Million Participants

97

Counties Across NC

87%

Participants Show Positive Behavior Change

Millions

Reached Online

Then & Now

On November 21, 1991, the Poe Center welcomed its first field trip group, 70 students from Sampson Middle School, officially opening the doors of the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education. This milestone brought to life a vision generated in the early 1980s by members of the Wake County Medical Society Auxiliary (now the Alliance). This passionate group of community leaders and allies recognized the critical need for health education and imagined a North Carolina where everyone could lead healthy lifestyles.

Thanks to their bold vision, the Poe Center has become a learning lab for health education where science, art, and technology come together in immersive, accessible experiences. From reimagining our beloved PlayWELL Park to building high-tech, high-touch cooking and gardening theaters and transforming our campus into a canvas of vibrant artwork, we continually reinvent how our spaces teach and inspire. Every corner evolves with purpose, adapting to meet the changing health needs of our community – one creative transformation at a time.

Learn More About Our History

Cranium Connection (2002)

The Poe Center’s iconic brain-science exhibit, the Cranium Connection, transforms learning into an interactive journey through the brain.

PlayWELL Park (2004, 2025)

New state-of-the art equipment, interactive art, and enhanced safety features transformed the well-loved park in 2025 ensuring many generations to come will benefit.

GrowWELL Garden (2017)

The GrowWELL Garden transforms outdoor space into a living classroom connecting children to seasonal gardening, earth science, composting, and pollinators.

Building Exterior (2017 - 2023)

Public art transforms the exterior into a vibrant space beautifying the community while sharing powerful health messages.

CookWELL Kitchen (2018)

The CookWELL Kitchen creates a high-tech, hands-on culinary classroom teaching essential cooking skills with fresh, healthy foods.

Substance Use Prevention Theater (2019)

The Substance Use Prevention Theater uses science to help youth understand how the brain works and build positive coping skills to prevent substance use.

Family Life Theater (2024)

The Family Life theater uses technology and interactive elements designed to maximize student interest making topics, such as puberty, more intuitive and comfortable.

Building Entrance & Portico (2025)

The Poe experience begins at the curb immersing school children in healthy messages about nutrition, physical activity, and positive relationships from the moment they arrive.

Join the Celebration

35th Anniversary Celebration:
Celebrating Healthy Minds & Healthy Bodies

Thursday, September 17, 2026
Poe Center for Health Education

Celebrate 35 Years of impact with the Poe Center. Join our Board and staff for a lively evening honoring healthy minds and bodies. Be among the first to see our brand new 4-D brain-science program for middle and high school students in the iconic Cranium Connection exhibit.

Join the Fun

Bring These Kids to
the Poe Center

Will you help us provide health education to more children?

At the Poe Center, kids don’t just learn about health – they experience it, building the habits and confidence for a lifetime of wellness. Your gift opens our doors to more children, more impact, and more lifelong healthy choices.

  • $50 will send a child to the Poe Center
  • $875 will send a class
  • $5,000 will sponsor an entire series of programs
Give Today