Western Reserve (OH) Chapter Links, Incorporated, 30th Anniversary Program 2017

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FACET was established in response to the chronic health disparities that persist in our communities and result in the decreased life expectancy of African-Americans. The mission of the Health and Human Services facet is to promote and facilitate programs that support the maintenance of good health and the elimination of chronic health disparities in communities of color through education, health advocacy, and optimal utilization of health resources. Community education about health risks is crucial and The Links, Incorporated can play a significant role in providing it.

26. Project Walking Fete: Make Health a Habit, an annual walk-a-thon for hunger which sim- ilarly took place in over 40 states, the District of Columbia; Nassau, Bahamas; and Frankfort, Germany. Proceeds benefited local charities. 27. Project Walking Fete: Make Health a Habit! Poster Art Contest was created in conjunc- tion with The Links, Incorporated’s National Walk-A-Thon to expand our health message to include healthy lifestyle choices. Western Reserve (OH) Chapter partnered with George Washington Carver Elementary School stu- dents for the poster contest and fun exercise lessons with Dr. Rita Beckford who showed the students easy exercises they could do at home based on her video, “At Home with Dr. B.” Our alumna members were the judges for the art contest. 28. Project Lifesaver, a successful pilot program to educate African American women about the importance of early screening and detection of breast and cervical cancer, done in partnership with the Cleveland Foundation; Minority Women with Breast Cancer Uniting; the Cleveland Health Department; Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Health Center, and University Hospitals of Cleveland. The chapter also spearheaded the Northeast Ohio survivor’s Tea in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic. 29. Diabetes Awareness Sunday, funded with a gift fromThe Links Foundation, Incorporated, this collaboration between The Western Reserve (OH) and The Cleveland Chapters of The Links, Incorporated and the Lennon Diabetes Center at Huron Road Hospital (a Cleveland Clinic Hospital) provided liter- ature to several Cleveland area churches and other religious institutions on the risks and management of diabetes in the African American community.

30. Project H.E.A.L. (Health, Education & Active Learning) is a multi-level, education initiative that teaches girls of African descent to analyze, evaluate and make healthy lifestyle choices and empowers them with the knowledge, skills and opportunities to become active health advocates for policy changes in their schools, families and neighborhoods. The Western Reserve (OH) and the Cleveland Chapters of The Links, Incorporated partnered with the H.E.A.L. Academy and the B.E.T. Foundation, Inc. to bring the two day Fit, Flourishing & Fly Girls Empowerment Summit to over 400 girls and their parents in the Greater Cleveland area. The Summit exposed girls to educa- tional workshops on nutrition, body image/ self-esteem, peer pressure/violence prevention, community advocacy, leadership development and reproductive health. The summit also included a parent’s track that addressed the topics covered in the girls’ track. The focus was to increase communication between child and parent. 31. Linkages to Life: Organ, Tissue and Bone Marrow Donation Awareness Program, designed to educate the African-American community about the importance of and need for organ, tissue, and bone marrow donation. This initiative was conducted in partnership with the local faith-based community and civic organizations. 32. My Sister’s Keeper, a partnership with Seidman Cancer Center to develop a sister- hood between Western Reserve (OH) Chapter members and outward bound women who are undergoing treatment for a major illness. The objective of the partnership is to equip women with life skills to help them navigate through the health care system, utilize the resources available to them and to provide monetary and emotional support during this challenging

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