Refuge House Of Prayer For All People Inc

OUR PLAN OF ACTION TARGETS 3 GROUPS YOUTH AGES 6-16, YOUNG ADULTS 16-24 AND THEIR FAMILIES THUS YIELDING - PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, REMISSION & REVERSAL WHENEVER POSSIBLE. HEART DISEASE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE U. S. IT IS IMPACTING MEMBERS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN & LATINO COMMUNITIES AT ALARMING RATES. ALTHOUGH HEART DISEASE CAN BE DEADLY, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT IS LARGELY PREVENTABLE THROUGH PROPER NUTRITION, EXERCISE AND HEALTHY DIET. GOOD NUTRITION SHOULD BE A WAY OF LIFE. THEREFORE, WE BROUGHT THE FARMERS MARKET TO OUR AREA OF BUSHWICK. THERE IS NO SUPERMARKET IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA AND UNTIL WE INTRODUCED THE MARKET LAST YEAR, FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WERE EXTREMELY LIMITED. SINCE WE BROUGHT THE MARKET TO COOPER STREET, THE LOCAL BODEGA REMODELED THE STORE AND MADE SPACE FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. WE INTEND TO EXPAND THE MARKET THIS YEAR TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: LIVE FOOD DEMONSTRATIONS, HEALTH BUCKS AS A REWARD FOR ATTENDING THE PRESENTATIONS, THE INTRODUCTION OF UNCOMMON VEGETABLES PREPARED BY A CHEF, RECIPES TO TAKE HOME, FRUIT AND VEGGIE SAMPLES. WE ARE ALSO PREPARING TO PROVIDE HEALTHY DINNERS 2-3 TIMES A WEEK, TO THE CHILDREN AND ADULTS THAT ATTEND OUR AFTER SCHOOL, HSD (HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA) AND HEARTSMARTS PROGRAMS IN SEPTEMBER VIS'-A-VIE OUR NEW CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM. THE VEGGIECATION PROGRAM IS A CULINARY-NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT INTRODUCES CHILDREN TO THE WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS WORLD OF VEGETABLES. THIS IS DONE BY INCORPORATING UNIQUE AND KID-FRIENDLY VEGETABLE PREPARATIONS INTO FUN ACTIVITIES AND EXCITING EXPERIENCES. BY REPLACING FOOD FEARS AND RESISTANCE WITH OWNERSHIP AND POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE, YOUR CHILDREN ARE EMPOWERED TO EXPAND THEIR HORIZONS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVING THEIR NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND KNOWLEDGE. KIDS NUTRITION AND NUTRITION EDUCATION ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC. GOVERNMENTS, SCHOOLS, AND ORGANIZATIONS ALL AROUND THE WORLD ARE SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO REVERSE THE CURRENT TREND. AT VEGGIECATION, WE BELIEVE THAT THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS IS BY VEGETABLE EDUCATION. VEGETABLES AND FRUITS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE PLATE, BUT NOT EVERY CHILD THINKS SO, WHICH IS WHY VEGGIECATION BEGAN AS A VEGETABLE EDUCATION PROGRAM. BY TEACHING KIDS ABOUT VEGETABLES, WE ARE ACTUALLY TEACHING THEM NUTRITION EDUCATION. AN EXPANSION OF OUR ADULT SERVICES PROGRAM WILL ALSO INCLUDE GOOD HEALTH RELATED ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION. AFTER BEING TRAINED BY WEILL CORNELL & NY PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTERS CARDIOLOGY DEPT., RONALD O. PERELMAN HEART INSTITUTE IN 2018, WE BEGAN CONDUCTING WEEKLY ADULT HEARTSMARTS CLASSES IN 2019, (12 WEEK SESSIONS) 3 TIMES A YEAR TEACHING THE FOLLOWING AREAS: HEART DISEASE, HEART ATTACK SIGNS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, CHOLESTEROL, HEALTHY WEIGHT, DIABETES, HEALTHY EATING EVERY DAY, STRESS, DEPRESSION & HEART DISEASE & FINALLY REVIEW & EVALUATION. AS A SIDE NOTE: CHILDREN & YOUTH WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HEARTSMARTS PROGRAM THUS RENDERING IT TO A LARGE DEGREE AN INTERVENTION RATHER THAN A PREVENTION PROGRAM. MY PILOT SUMMER PROJECT INCLUDED CHILDREN & YOUTH AND LITERALLY EXPANDED HEARTSMARTS TO AN EARLY PREVENTION AND HEART DISEASE AWARENESS PROGRAM BY TEACHING OUR FUTURE HOW TO EAT TO LIVE, PROMOTING THE RETURN TO A LIVE FOOD DIET. INCLUDED IN THE ABOVE ARE PRE AND POST WEIGH IN, BLOOD PRESSURE, BODY MEASUREMENTS & TESTING BY AN RN. HEARTSMARTS IS FOCUSED ON EDUCATING CONSUMERS & GIVING THEM THE TOOLS THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO MAKE BETTER CHOICES, LIFESTYLE CHANGES & IMPROVE OVERALL QUALITY OF HEALTH. OUR SUMMER PROGRAM IN 2019, WAS FOR CHILDREN/YOUTH AGES 6-18. WE INTRODUCED THE HEARTSMARTS PROGRAM TO THEM OVER A 6-WEEK PERIOD 2X WEEKLY & THE RESULTS WERE PHENOMENAL. DR. NAA-SOLO TETTEY, DIRECTOR OF THE HEARTSMARTS PROGRAM FOR RONAL O. PERELMAN HEAT INSTITUTE, PAID US A SURPRISE VISIT JUST TO SEE THE IMPACT IF ANY, ON THE CHILDREN & SHE WAS AWED. THE CHILDREN LITERALLY TOOK OVER THE CLASS REVIEW & SHOWED HER EXACTLY WHAT THEY LEARNED & RETAINED FROM THE WEEKS OF TRAINING. SHE DIDN'T THINK CHILDREN COULD RETAIN THE INFO DUE TO ITS A COMPLEXITY. SHE IS NOW WORKING ON A YOUTH FRIENDLY VERSION FOR OUR 2020 SUMMER SESSION BASED ON OUR MODEL. HEARTSMARTS PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED BY CARDIOLOGISTS BECAUSE OF THE DAUNTING DISPARATE TREATMENT RECEIVED BY THE TARGETED COMMUNITY IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER ETHNICITIES. ACCORDING TO THE RONALD O. PERELMAN HEART INSTITUTE, "THE RATE OF DEATH FROM HEART DISEASE IS 31 PERCENT HIGHER AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS THAN AMONG WHITE." THE RATE OF RELATED HEART SURGERIES INCLUDING DOUBLE/TRIPLE/QUADRUPLE BYPASS, BLOCKAGE OF THE CORONARY ARTERY FORMERLY CALLED ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS OVERWHELMING TO CARDIOLOGISTS. INCIDENTALLY, THEY MAKE THEIR LIVING CUTTING US OPEN AND EVEN THE SURGEONS CONCLUDED THAT SOMETHING NEEDED TO BE DONE. AS A PEOPLE, WE ARE KILLING OURSELVES THROUGH POOR DIETARY HABITS. BECAUSE OF THE TRAINING WE RECEIVED, I WAS INSPIRED TO START A WEEKLY (SEASONAL MAY-NOV) FARMERS MARKET PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH RISEBORO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP. CURRENTLY, WE ACCOMMODATE A CLASS SIZE OF 20, HOWEVER WITH FUNDING WE WILL BE ABLE TO REACH MORE PEOPLE, ENLARGE CLASS SIZE TO AS MUCH AS 80, INTRODUCE MORE HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES DURING BREAKS, DEVELOP YOUTH-FRIENDLY COURSE MATERIALS FOR YOUNGER PARTICIPANTS, INVITE REAL-TIME GUESTS TO TELL THEIR STORIES ABOUT HOW THEY MADE IT THROUGH THOSE DIFFICULT EXPERIENCES IN EACH OF THE STATED AREAS OF CONCERN. WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO GIVE INCENTIVES IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: WEIGHT LOSS FOR THE OBESE, LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE THROUGH HOLISTIC MEASURES, LOWER CHOLESTEROL, ACKNOWLEDGE WEIGHT LOSS MILESTONES, DANCE CLASS 4 EXERCISE, HOST GRADUATION EXERCISES THAT INCLUDE FAMILY AND LOVED ONES & MORE. WE SERVED APPROXIMATELY 900 RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.