Missouri Organization Empowers Individuals to Make a Difference

The Heartland Foundation located in St. Joseph, Missouri supports forward-thinking projects that create opportunities for progress and change. At the Foundation's emPowerU campus housed in a transformed warehouse building located on a federally designated Brownfields site, the Research and Solutions Center offers a unique environment for diverse groups of all ages to gather, discuss and promote leading edge ideas designed to improve a community's health and vitality. From this innovative center, a continuum of multiple activities are introduced that lead to participatory projects that encourage civic engagement, promote health, build workforce development skills and address economic realities.

Projects tackle such issues as building strong educational systems through business partnerships, health improvement for school-age children, youth civic engagement, and community collaboration and transformation. Community members gather at the campus and throughout the region to discuss various issues confronting the community. Though topics may change, the guiding principle remains clear - through collaboration and new ways of thinking individuals can improve their communities and themselves.

Youth and adults return from their visits at emPowerU with a commitment to improving their community. After completing the emPowerU immersion and the Foundation's nationally-recognized emPower Plant curriculum, one group of students from the Benjamin Banneker Charter Academy of Kansas City planted an inner-city garden with Jump Starters funding support through a partnership with Heartland Foundation and Learn and Serve America. In less than five months the garden yielded over 500 pounds of produce for the Harvesters Food Network.

Heartland Foundation's work spans a 30-county region and beyond encompassing a four state area: Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota. For more information see heartlandfoundation.org.

Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter?

In this world of 24-7 access to information -- non-profits are rapidly jumping into the fray along side corporate America. Whether it is twittering about new projects or using Facebook as a platform to reach more people, new ways of networking seem to be popping up everyday.

Recently, The Washington Post published a controversial article on the benefits of using Facebook to raise funds and profile of non-profits. The authors stated:

The Facebook application Causes, hugely popular among nonprofit organizations seeking to raise money online, has been largely ineffective in its first two years, trailing direct mail, fundraising events and other more traditional methods of soliciting contributions.

This article has been received with mixed review. Many vocal bloggers suggested the authors do not "get-it." And that their conclusions were merely old news, and that to view these applications merely through the fundraising lens is limited. They argue that success is predicated on using these sites as a general communication platform, as well as a fundraising tool.

What do you think?


What have you found most useful? for networking? for fund raising? What works for you?

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Creative community efforts to promote health

Building a healthy community is not a solitary process....we all need to pitch in, work together and create innovative ways to address health needs in our neighborhoods. In so many communities across the country, this is exactly what is quietly happening. The WINGS program in San Antonio provides free breast cancer screening, treatment services and supports to uninsured women. A Baltimore-based program, Birth Advocates helps low-income women navigate prenatal care and community resources. In Oklahoma City, the Mayor hoped the entire community will get into the program when he launched the "Oklahoma City is going on a diet" program - which provides resources, encouragement, and tools for individuals to set and achieve weight loss goals.

These are the types of programs we at LeadingHealthyCommunities.com seek to share with you on a wider scale. By documenting these programs, we hope to provide you with a blueprint for replication in your community. SO TELL US MORE!

What examples are you aware of from your community? Albeit your own organization's program or the running/walking, nutrition program and gardening program your son participates in after school. Help broaden the impact of these programs and share these examples today.

Let us spread the word....

Holidays

The holidays are often a time when we are most busy and least able to manage the additional stress. I was just reminded of this fact the other day when a woman contacted Leadinghealthycommunities.com asking about resources for her mother who had been recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her parents are without healthcare coverage and her father (who only worked part-time due to recent job layoffs) still earned too much money to qualify for state-assistance. She said her family could not afford to pay for her mother's care out of pocket. She was extremely worried about her mother who -- burdened with the guilt of expensive treatment, could not possible be in the right mindset to fight the cancer.



My immediate thoughts were -- who can afford to pay out of pocket for medical care....? Really? When you are talking about such high cost tre treatments, few could afford to pay out of pocket for their own care.

I directed her to a resource group, WINGS in San Antonio, Texas which specializes in helping "low-income" women get screening for breast cancer and if necessary subsequent treatment. And told her I would keep thinking about other resources for her (PLEASE SHARE ANY IDEAS WITH ME AND I WILL PASS IT ALONG). Ever since speaking with her, I have been thinking about the fact that there are so many families who are struggling with this very same problem.

At Leadinghealthcommunities.com we hope to try to make it easier for communities groups to start programs to promote health, expand access to care, or educate harder to reach populations. You can help by sharing information you may have on innovative health programs in your area. We would love to know about them.

Happy Holidays.

New Administration

With the election finally behind us, everyone - from a convenience store owner to the president-elect - is eager to get down to the business of running the country.

Much of the focus will be on the economy and helping Americans dig out from this economic crisis. However, health care will certainly feature prominently in discussions -- as we contemplate helping those who have lost their jobs and in turn their health coverage.

What are your thoughts on how the new Obama Administration can help you in your efforts to improve health? Have you thought about who you would like to see appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services? How can the new administration help you in your work in the community?

LHC Survey

One year after launching our website, Leadinghealthycommunities.com, we are gathering feedback from our case study partners on site utility, services and possible conferences and programs. Answer such questions as:

• Would you be interested in attending a conference which would allow you to network with community leaders, share resources, and learn from one another?
• How else could LHC present materials to better meet your needs?
• What additional content would be helpful to you in your work?

We would appreciate your taking a moment to complete this survey and share your thoughts. Your advice will be extremely helpful in guiding website expansions and improvements.

To participate in the survey click on the following link:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2dgmua0flu0bxs3/start