PAHOKEE -- As 2021 comes to a close, Healthier Glades, a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative, is investing in residents and nonprofit organizations to provide a range of programs to support behavioral health in Palm Beach County’s western communities in 2022. Funding from the United Way of Palm Beach County provided $10,000 of the $14,000 that was awarded as mini-grants to three residents and three organizations to implement their ideas for impacting behavioral health in the region. The funding is the third time Healthier Glades has awarded mini-grants for grassroots efforts since inception of the initiative in 2017, with a total investment of $60,000 to-date.

Healthier Glades convenes residents to address the vital conditions that affect behavioral health and wellness—a variety of social, economic and environmental factors such as employment and housing, that people depend on to be healthy and well. The mini-grant awardees received funding from $2,000 to $3,000 to deliver innovative programs during 2022 that will impact the lives of returning citizens, youth and families, and provide resources for chronic health conditions and protection from COVID-19.

Residents from Belle Glade who received mini-grants will lead the following initiatives: 

• Sara Puente of Sun Valley Healthcare will organize the “Take Charge of Our Health” community health fair for Glades residents, providing prevention and intervention screenings for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and cancer.
• Jeffrey Willis will offer a program from Muck City Anglers (MCA) the “Total MCA Experience,” a program created to enhance the lives of youth through recreational fishing to teach environmental stewardship and provide inspiration and group discussions based on everyday life topics.
• Derrek Moore will offer a COVID-19 Prevention Program to provide hygiene kits and masks to Glade’s area residents to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and save lives.

Nonprofit organizations will lead the following initiatives:

• People of Purpose, Inc. of Belle Glade will provide a Second Chance Job & Resource Fair. Executive director William Freeman and his team will bring together services for returning citizens and their families in the underserved communities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay, including employment assistance, housing, legal, education, voting rights and other community services such as transportation.
• Restoration Destination of Pahokee will provide “Telehealth at Pelican Lake” under project leader Ted Rodarm to bring telehealth services to Glades returning citizens and their families, and later expand the program to all residents. The service will complement and create synergies with the organization’s other health and wellness services to raise the health of residents and increase their accessibility to healthcare.               
• Federation of Families of South Bay will create “Find Your Superhero,” a five-week virtual youth support group program for Glades children ages 5-17 who may be isolated due to the pandemic. Children will create avatar superheroes to help them overcome obstacles and build strengths in their own lives through identifying health and wellness superpowers.

Annie Ifill, project director for Healthier Glades, is inspired by the initiative and passion Glades community members have for helping others. “No one knows better how to strengthen the health and wellness of the people of our community better than the residents and grassroots organizations themselves,” said Ifill.  “We’re putting resources into the hands of those who have the knowledge, insight and passion to lead change. We are grateful to the United Way of Palm Beach County for making these investments in our region possible.” 

About the Healthier Together Initiative
Healthier Together is a resident-led, community-driven, grantmaking approach developed by Palm Health Foundation, Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. This strategic initiative convenes residents to address a variety of social, economic and environmental factors that affect health outcomes. Healthier Together empowers residents to create their own solutions to make positive, healthy changes in the neighborhoods where they live, work and play. To learn more, visit healthiertogetherpbc.org.

About Palm Health Foundation 
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $85 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call 561-833-6333.