The KC BizCare Office’s Post

🌱 Reaffirming Our Commitment to Building a Thriving Community Together 🌱 At Cultivating Futures, our mission, vision, and core values are at the heart of everything we do. We are here to bridge the gap between people and resources, helping individuals realize their highest aspirations. Through ACEE (Advocacy, Community, Equity, and Empowerment), we are committed to meeting each individual’s unique journey with the support they need. ✨ Mission: To connect individuals with the resources and support essential for reaching their potential. ✨ Vision: We are a servant organization, ever-evolving to meet community needs—supporting whole-person wellness through research-based practices that prioritize mental, physical, and educational well-being from prenatal stages to older adulthood. 🌟 Our Core Values: Accountability: We honor our commitments to community members, partners, and each other. Accessibility: Access is a fundamental right, and we strive to make it a reality for all. Community Focus: People are our highest priority, and their needs shape our work. Equity: We work towards equitable outcomes within our organization and the communities we serve. Empowerment: We advocate for everyone’s right to knowledge, a voice, and influence over policies that impact their lives. In these challenging times, our dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion, unity, and community remains unwavering. Together, we are paving the way toward a more inclusive, supportive, and vibrant community. Let’s keep moving forward, cultivating futures that empower us all. 🌍💪 #CultivatingFutures #MissionDriven #CommunityImpact #EquityAndEmpowerment #WholePersonWellness

I love meeting leaders, especially people like Raki McGregor, MBA. A combo of big heart & bias for action. Raki shares his diverse music playlist and discusses his background and upbringing in New Jersey. He emphasizes the importance of digital equity and how Novant Health is working to provide access to technology and innovation in underrepresented communities. Raki also highlights the focus on community growth and the efforts to address the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities.    Takeaways- Digital equity is about providing access to technology and innovation in underrepresented communities. Community growth involves addressing the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities and providing resources for education, employment, and healthcare. Resilience comes from facing challenges and being given a second chance. Remaining authentic and true to one's values is crucial, especially in challenging environments.

A flashback to early 2023 and a stop on TVO's The Agenda with Dr. Steve Joordens, speaking about the need for us all to rebuild the social skills, habits and routines that we lost during the two years of the global pandemic. So many of our normal pre-pandemic social routines are still disrupted on a daily basis. Fewer hours in the office, less time at the gym, less time at the grocery store, and much more — it all adds up to a society that is less connected than ever before. Unlike many of the preventative health issues of the past, social health cannot be improved alone. It takes family, friends, neighbours, classmates, colleagues and even strangers to all be part of building the more connected world where everyone can thrive due to an increased sense of connection, inclusion, mattering, belonging, community, support, and more. It takes a village to do far more than just raise our kids. Join the movement at www.GenWell.ca #HumanConnection #Socialhealth #SocialConnection #Happiness #Health #Inclusion #Belonging #Community #Connection #MentalHealth #PhysicalHealth #Wellness #Prevention #Proactive #Upstream #Inthistogether Jill Kehoe Javet Brad Offman Amy MacFarlane Stewart McDonough Mo Khan Steve Joordens Doug Darling Barb Collombin Sarah Glenn Tim Moseley Patrick Tobin Launi Skinner Calvin MacInnis 🧲 Sandy Gerber Paul Simard Pete Davis Marina Andrew Mark R. Thompson Crystal Laborero CIM, ICD.D Crystal Cowie Minnelle Williams 💫Kate McMaster, CHRP💫 Alison Gilbert Catherine L Curtis Kaye Phillips, PhD michael downey Scott Knox Bev Kirshenblatt Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé publique du Canada Canadian Mental Health Association Health Canada | Santé Canada Mike Lake Scott Aitchison Nan Eskenazi Andrew Clendinneng Vani Jain https://lnkd.in/gpUzd9pp

Reflecting on this amazing #GIW24 - one of our favorite moments was at our first-ever Multi-Gen Mix & Mingle. Guests participated in hands-on activity building a Community Tree where everyone, including #olderadults from nearby #fenway 334 Mass Ave., Kenmore Abbey, and St. Cecilia's House, were invited to share their thoughts on a leaf added to build our tree: 1) if someone asked you why #intergenerational programs are important, what would you say? or 2) What motivates you to keep coming back to our programs or what’s been you’re favorite part of programs? The responses show how ESSENTIAL #socialconnection is between generations. For ALL to grow and age in health, we must continue to celebrate in moments like this and provide programs to do so! "I like making friends with young people. It makes me younger." "I love this moment." "Learning different perspectives from all different walks of life." "Mutual understanding, respect, and support." "Inherit the virtue of respecting and loving the elderly." "Be happy." "Learning new things." "We cannot have a future without learning from our history." #intergenerational #multigenerational #collegestudents #socialhealth

Dedicated to the Social Work Trailblazers: As a social worker dedicated to under-resourced communities, I’ve learned that trailblazing is both a responsibility and an honor. It means stepping into spaces where resources are scarce, and the needs are immense, and refusing to accept inequity as the norm. Trailblazing requires boldness—not just to navigate systemic barriers, but to reimagine solutions that center the voices of the people we serve. It means advocating for justice while building programs that empower individuals and strengthen communities. Whether it’s connecting families to critical resources, supporting those navigating health disparities, or mentoring future professionals, I’m driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to opportunities that improve their quality of life. This work is not done alone. It is deeply collaborative, guided by the resilience and wisdom of the communities themselves. Every success, big or small, is a testament to their strength and our shared commitment to creating lasting change. To my fellow social workers, advocates, and change-makers: let us continue to challenge inequities, uplift one another, and forge pathways toward a more just and equitable future. Together, we can ensure that every community—no matter its resources—thrives. #community #healthdisparities #empoweringsocialworkers #inequities #inequalities #socialdeterminants #socialimpact #socialjustice

Social value – is something missing? 🧐 We’re always thinking about value. Both social and economic, and how they work together and balance, to provide real value for everyone; individuals, communities, developers, investors and governments. Interesting to note the themes of the recent Social Value Week 2024:   - Social value and sustainability - Employment, training and skills - Governance and infrastructure - Supply-chain awards - Celebrating social value All are valuable, for sure 💰. And measurable, which is important 📏. But something is missing to create meaningful change. We appreciate this definition of social value by a young man who has attended and contributed much to his local Youth Zone* over the past seven years: “It’s not the stuff society values like status and jobs and money - it’s the stuff you value that’s in your heart. And what you give from your heart as well.”   We couldn’t agree more. And in developing Cura’s measurement tool over the past year – the Cura Regenerative Index – we worked out how to capture and quantify the spirit of the people and the place. In partnership with the Centre for Thriving Places. Part quantitative and part qualitative, the Index tracks success by measuring the mental, emotional, behavioural and social wellbeing of citizens. Because we know that universal wellbeing is what leads to lasting value, for all. This approach also chimes with the definition of the word Cura; Latin for care, concern, responsibility. Jenni & Maryline #placemaking #socialvalue #wellbeing #realgrowth #measurement #cura Thanks to Nicola Lynch for sharing her conversation with Donald. * Youth Zones are state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound youth centres in the UK’s most economically disadvantaged areas, funded and built by the national youth charity OnSide.

In Chicago, we don’t wait for change; we make it happen. Now is the time to come together, support one another, and empower our neighborhoods. Here are ten ways to create positive change right here in our community: ✨️Engage in Civic Dialogue – Let’s have open, respectful conversations across backgrounds. Share stories and listen to each other. ✨️Prioritize Wellness – Personal well-being fuels community strength. Let’s care for our mental, physical, and financial health. ✨️Support Local Businesses – Shopping local boosts our neighborhoods and keeps our economy thriving. ✨️Volunteer and Give Back – Whether mentoring, feeding a family, or cleaning up, each of us can make a difference. ✨️Stay Informed and Educate – Knowledge empowers us to make choices that strengthen our community. ✨️Promote Financial Literacy – Financial empowerment uplifts us all. Let’s share resources and support wise decisions. ✨️Build Safe Spaces – Help create places where we can feel safe, share, and grow together. ✨️Engage in Local Government – Attend town halls, connect with leaders, and advocate for our community’s needs. ✨️Promote Healthy Lifestyles – Physical, Mental and Financial health strengthens our neighborhoods. Let’s inspire each other to adopt healthier habits. ✨️Invest in the Next Generation – Our children are the future. Let’s be mentors, role models, and advocates for them. Together, we can make a difference. Let’s build a Chicago that celebrates our diversity, supports one another, and creates lasting, positive change for EVERYONE 🖤 🖋Signed, Ms.Cass DAUGHTER, SISTER, MOM, GRANDMA AUNT, REALTOR®️, INVESTOR...AND MORE... Chicago Association of REALTORS® National Association of REALTORS® #Leader #ChangeMaker #LegacyBuilder #LetsBuildTogether #MasterYourPeace #WheresMsCass

Happy to share that my chapter in Social (In)equality, Community Well-being and Quality of Life is now available in print & online Chapter 2: A holistic perspective to nurture quality of life and social equity https://lnkd.in/eXAcv-Fe

Our most recent SOCIAL Framework highlights ways to increase social connection through the environmental sector. One of the strategies we highlight in our framework includes promoting participatory design processes. One example we highlight is Health Action Plans, which serve as a valuable tool for affordable housing developers to incorporate health-promoting design strategies tailored to the specific needs of residents. By pairing developers with public health professionals, these plans ensure that housing projects address crucial health concerns such as air quality, social isolation, and access to community resources. In a recent collaboration with Volunteers of America, implementing a Health Action Plan led to improved air quality and enhanced communal spaces, fostering stronger social connections among residents. These changes contributed to reduced social isolation, promoting a healthier, more connected living environment. Learn more about Health Action Plans and our Built Environment in our SOCIAL Framework Report: https://lnkd.in/gQjkE6Jj Register today for our Built Environment Webinar, happening on December 10, where we dive deeper into our Built Environment and its critical role in fostering social connection: https://lnkd.in/gdb2XMiJ

'What is well-being & how is it shaped by social & economic conditions? What policies & practices are needed to promote well-being equitably?' -thanks for the critical Qs Matt Fisher Practice & policy driven by people who've lived in & with social & economic conditions that hinder and harm their well-being is crucial