SparkPeople was founded in 2001 by University of Cincinnati graduate and former Procter & Gamble employee, Chris Downie, with a central mission: to spark millions of people to reach their goals and lead healthier lives. SparkPeople helps people to reach their goals and lead healthier lives in a myriad of ways: through nutrition, health and fitness tools, and maybe most importantly, through personal support with online message boards, blogs and social networking groups. Chris Downie started SparkPeople.com with the proceeds of Up4Sale.com, which he sold to eBay in 1998. It was the online auction site's first acquisition. And though SparkPeople's thrust is health, fitness and weight loss, for some the site has affected their lives in other ways.