About Access Olive
The Why Behind
Access Olive
People are discharged from appointments, referred to programs, or told to improve nutrition, exercise, or mental health — but the pathway is often broken. Transportation, cost, fear, lack of follow-up, isolation, and confusing systems keep people from getting the care they need.
Access Olive exists to close that gap.
We believe access is not just about offering a service. Access means someone knows your name, understands your barriers, helps you take the next step, and stays connected long enough for change to become possible.
“We walk alongside people until access becomes sustainable.”
Our Mission
Access Olive exists to restore access to food, movement, and mental health support to reverse the diseases those gaps create.
Using the Community Health Worker model, we close the distance between nutrition, food access, physical wellness, and behavioral health support by building sustainable, relationship-centered care in Colorado Springs and beyond.
We focus on:
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Food Access
Connecting individuals and families to nutritious food, meal planning support, education, and practical tools for long-term wellness.
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Movement Access
Creating opportunities for people to participate in exercise, strength training, walking groups, yoga, community fitness, and other forms of movement that support physical and mental health.
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Relational Handoffs
Providing warm, trusted connections between healthcare providers, nonprofits, schools, churches, gyms, and community programs.
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Community Health Workers
Using trained CHWs to walk alongside people, reduce barriers, support follow-through, and help individuals stay connected to care beyond one appointment or referral.
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Mental Health Support
Offering relationship-based support, accountability, behavioral health coaching, and connection to mental health partners when deeper care is needed.
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Who We Serve
Access Olive serves individuals and families experiencing gaps in access to food, movement, healthcare follow-up, mental health support, transportation, and community connection.
Our Model
The Community Health Worker Model
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Identify the Gap
A person or family is facing a barrier to food, movement, care, follow-up, or support.
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Build the Pathway
Access Olive connects them to the right partner, program, resource, or service.
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Provide the Relational Handoff
A Community Health Worker or trusted support person helps make the connection personal, practical, and sustainable.
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Walk Alongside
We continue support through follow-up, encouragement, accountability, and relationships.
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Measure the Outcome
We track access, engagement, barriers reduced, and long-term wellness outcomes.
Our Founder
Sara Potter,
Executive Director
Sara Potter is the founder and Executive Director of Access Olive. Her background combines nonprofit leadership, community health work, nutrition, movement-based wellness, grant writing, and public administration. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a focus in public policy and nonprofit management and is a certified nutritionist, CrossFit coach with Olympic lifting certification, and a registered yoga teacher.
Sara created Access Olive after repeatedly seeing the same gap across healthcare and community systems: people had medical needs, food needs, mental health needs, and movement needs, but no clear relational pathway connecting them to sustainable support. Too often, individuals were referred to services without the guidance, accountability, or ongoing connection needed to truly access them.
Her work is rooted in the belief that access changes outcomes — and that relationship is often the bridge between crisis and long-term health. Through Access Olive, she is focused on building community-centered pathways that connect nutrition, movement, mental wellness, and healthcare into sustainable systems of support.
MPA · Public Policy & NonprofiT MGMT
Certified Nutritionist
CrossFit Coach
Olympic Lifting Certification
Registered Yoga Teacher