The power of local commitment

Baltimore-based Engage with Heart looks like a potential long-term winner. The Community Health Ambassadors, on which the program rests, are bursting with energy and devotion to support the local community. As part of their job, they are not only providing health education, advocating for preventive lifestyles, and bridging the gap to healthcare services. Most participants also bring a personal verve that goes beyond a purely professional commitment. Working for community partners such as the Liberty Grace Church of God, Mount Pleasant Development Corp., and the Sandtown Winchester Senior Center, among many others, most members have deep roots in Baltimore and strong ties to the local Black community. Their commitment is not only crucial to making a success of Engage with Heart, led by the Global Coalition on Aging and sponsored by Novartis, but could also lead to the program serving as a blueprint for other cities in the United States and beyond. Their fiery allegiance also bodes well for the rest of the world as project leaders should not look too far away when recruiting for a potentially far-reaching project. They often can be found next door.

Faith Metlock from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing leads a team of student volunteers who support the health screening events that are part of Engage with Heart. There is no one-size-fits-all in community engagement, she says, so the group is also working on bespoke questionnaires and education materials to meet the needs of the Black community in Baltimore.

Community Health Ambassador Terris King II from the Liberty Grace Church of God sees great potential for Engage with Heart. If most of the 700 churches in Baltimore were to jump on the bandwagon, the city could become a little paradise. A former kindergarten teacher, King knows about the importance of education to help community members lead a healthy and active life.

Community Health Ambassador Mark Montgomery from the Liberty Grace Church of God is expecting strong results from Engage with Heart. As a pastor, he knows that the responsibility for his congregation does not stop with spiritual shepherding. He aims to help his community to aspire to a healthy and long life too.

Students from the Black Church Food Security Network. From left to right: Azariah Moore, Yasmine Bryant, Brahein Richardson, Shaune Payne, Natasha Chisaka, Zakiya Johnson. Helping Black churches cultivate gardens on their land and connecting them with Black farmers to supply fresh produce to communities is just part of their work. Their curriculum also includes political education about how to overcome the systemic problems that have led to today’s situation.

Will McCabe from Hungry Harvest supports the Sandtown Winchester Senior Center in Baltimore to get access to fresh produce. The area around the center is known for block upon block of corner stores or fast food, or very expensive and not so fresh groceries. McCabe wants to change that.

Sister Phyllis Green from Liberty Grace Church of God is a strong proponent of urban farming. In the podcast, together with Dr. Holmes and Mother Neufville, she talks about how communities in Baltimore should work towards creating ecosystems that allow people to receive access to healthy food and medicine – within walking distance. Often people who lack means of transport depend on junk food – which is too often too close to ignore.

Dr. Holmes and Mother Neufville give urban farming at Liberty Grace Church of God in Baltimore a fresh face. Despite their age, they lack neither enthusiasm nor a vision for the future. In their podcast, they talk about the beauty and barriers of urban farming together with Sister Phyllis Green.

As CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, Michael W. Hodin aims to develop sustainable economic models that can help societies transition more efficiently to changing demographic realities. For him, societal aging should be seen as an opportunity that can help communities reinvent themselves into friendlier and healthier places.

Dr. Reverend Terry Thornton from Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church is a strong supporter of Engage with Heart, because it allows him to adapt the program to the needs of his own church, which is smaller with a larger proportion of older congregants. In his podcast, Reverend Thornton also talks about the challenges to change a soul food culture.

Community Health Ambassador Rhonda Nelson Boglin from the Sandtown Winchester Senior Center is a stroke survivor and knows how important healthy food and physical activity are to keep in shape. As an art teacher, her dedication to education runs deep. In her podcast, she explains what drives her.

Despite having already passed the age of 70, Community Health Ambassador Dolores Smith from the Sandtown Winchester Senior Center is full of energy and feels the need to give back to the community. Hear her talk in more detail in her podcast.

Community Health Ambassadors Rhonda Scott from, Liberty Grace, Wanda Shannon and Ebony Fagan from Mount Pleasant, Racquel Harris and Porscha Griffith from the Lord’s Church, as well as Marilyn Johnson, Lorrianne Mason and Jaleesa Washington from Sweet Hope Free Will Baptist Church have been instrumental to make Engage with Heart a success.

Community Health Ambassador Kejuana Walton from the Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging is an experienced social worker. But her role at Engage with Heart goes deeper. In her podcast, Walton talks about how she has overcome high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle and how she wants to apply the lessons she has learnt to benefit the community.

Community Health Ambassador Creala Mickens from the Zeta Center for Healthy and Active Aging can look back to a long career as a civil servant. In her new role as a Community Health Ambassador, Mickens sees an opportunity to give back to society. As a caregiver for her mother, who died recently, her focus is on strengthening the emotional bonds with the local residents, for whom Zeta has become a second home.