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From the Heart Awards 2021: Meet Our Honorees

Published On: Sep 9, 2021Categories: Articles

It was easy to select our From the Heart honorees this year! The 2021 honorees all are longtime collaborators who became even closer or new partners in the past year. We’d like to share with you a little more about them. 

Join us at 6 p.m. Saturday Oct. 2 to recognize these individuals and organizations!  It’s free to register and every dollar raised supports vital community health services.

Jahmal Cole of My Block, My Hood, My City: Investing In Our Community

invest in my block my hood my city

My Block, My Hood, My City emerged as a key partner and recipient of donations from staff this past year as one way to respond to violence against people of color and act on rising awareness that healthcare, like other areas, must address longstanding systems of oppression. One way we do so is by investing in the community and institutions that make us all stronger. 

My Block My Hood My City believes in providing opportunities for others to step outside their comfort zone and explore new communities, cultures, and cuisines in an effort to gain a greater understanding of the world. They work tirelessly to empower our neighbors with knowledge and inspire them with opportunity so they can take positive action with confidence, creating a new world of possibilities for themselves and their families – and ultimately, the block, the hood, and the city, too.

Read more about My Block, My Hood, My City

Centro Romero’s Daysi Funes and Susana Salgado: Building Equity 

Centro Romero team screening folks for vaccinations

Centro Romero is a true partner in helping to build a healthier community where all can access high-quality healthcare. Their leader-members connect our patients to healthcare as navigators, volunteer screeners at vaccination sites, and in other roles both in front of and behind the scenes across our organization. Executive Director Daysi Funes and Youth Program Director Susana Salgado have committed their organization to work with us to strengthen the health of our community. 

For over 35 years, Centro Romero has been a community-based organization that serves the refugee immigrant population on the northeast side of Chicago. Their interrelated programs include the Youth Learning and Leadership Program, Family Services (encapsulating the Domestic Violence Prevention Program, the Public Benefits Program, and the New Americans Initiative), Adult Education, and Legal Services. 

Read more about Centro Romero

Dr. Gloria Gibson of Northeastern Illinois University: Sharing space to speed vaccination process 

NEIU gym Dr. Gloria Gibson, president of Northeastern Illinois University: when the call came for community health centers to join the front lines on mass vaccinations, we knew we had a logistical challenge: moving people in need of their shots through the available space in a way that was safe, efficient, and convenient. NEIU was there for us and the community, dedicating space on their campus where we were able to conduct up to 300 vaccinations per day in a campus gym.

NEIU is regarded as the most diverse public comprehensive university in the Midwest and is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The University has an enrollment of more than 7,000 students; African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American students represent roughly 60 percent of the student body.

Read more about NEIU

Congratulations to all!  Learn more and register here.

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It was easy to select our From the Heart honorees this year! The 2021 honorees all are longtime collaborators who became even closer or new partners in the past year. We’d like to share with you a little more about them. 

Join us at 6 p.m. Saturday Oct. 2 to recognize these individuals and organizations!  It’s free to register and every dollar raised supports vital community health services.

Jahmal Cole of My Block, My Hood, My City: Investing In Our Community

invest in my block my hood my city

My Block, My Hood, My City emerged as a key partner and recipient of donations from staff this past year as one way to respond to violence against people of color and act on rising awareness that healthcare, like other areas, must address longstanding systems of oppression. One way we do so is by investing in the community and institutions that make us all stronger. 

My Block My Hood My City believes in providing opportunities for others to step outside their comfort zone and explore new communities, cultures, and cuisines in an effort to gain a greater understanding of the world. They work tirelessly to empower our neighbors with knowledge and inspire them with opportunity so they can take positive action with confidence, creating a new world of possibilities for themselves and their families – and ultimately, the block, the hood, and the city, too.

Read more about My Block, My Hood, My City

Centro Romero’s Daysi Funes and Susana Salgado: Building Equity 

Centro Romero team screening folks for vaccinations

Centro Romero is a true partner in helping to build a healthier community where all can access high-quality healthcare. Their leader-members connect our patients to healthcare as navigators, volunteer screeners at vaccination sites, and in other roles both in front of and behind the scenes across our organization. Executive Director Daysi Funes and Youth Program Director Susana Salgado have committed their organization to work with us to strengthen the health of our community. 

For over 35 years, Centro Romero has been a community-based organization that serves the refugee immigrant population on the northeast side of Chicago. Their interrelated programs include the Youth Learning and Leadership Program, Family Services (encapsulating the Domestic Violence Prevention Program, the Public Benefits Program, and the New Americans Initiative), Adult Education, and Legal Services. 

Read more about Centro Romero

Dr. Gloria Gibson of Northeastern Illinois University: Sharing space to speed vaccination process 

NEIU gym Dr. Gloria Gibson, president of Northeastern Illinois University: when the call came for community health centers to join the front lines on mass vaccinations, we knew we had a logistical challenge: moving people in need of their shots through the available space in a way that was safe, efficient, and convenient. NEIU was there for us and the community, dedicating space on their campus where we were able to conduct up to 300 vaccinations per day in a campus gym.

NEIU is regarded as the most diverse public comprehensive university in the Midwest and is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The University has an enrollment of more than 7,000 students; African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American students represent roughly 60 percent of the student body.

Read more about NEIU

Congratulations to all!  Learn more and register here.