A non-profit organization ushered in Black History Month with an event focused on the health and wellness of the Black community on Saturday.
The Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, a group based in Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois, hosted a free gathering at the Gold Dome Field House where they offered attendees a variety of workout classes.
In addition to kickboxing, tai chi and chair exercises for seniors, the event had attendees participate in yoga, line dancing, Afrobeat fitness as well as African dance and drumming. In between each event, workshops about nutrition, stress management, COVID vaccines and how parents can deal with their children were held.
The event served as a pre-launch for their new program, the Black Culture Wellness Campaign, whose main goal is to help people in the community improve their way of life.
“Black Culture Wellness involves the promotion and practice of life affirming values, principles, images and messages that celebrate the best of the Black community via our institutions, edifices, interactions, entertainment and expressions,” said a statement on the company’s website.
To help reach their goal of enforcing healthy behavior, the organization is focused on going on a behavior change campaign and implementing “neighborhood activation.”
On this campaign, they’ll be moving from schools to district places to any vacant buildings with the intent to better the community. To help spread the word about what they’re trying to do, the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative will be using different marketing techniques to attract attendees.
“The purpose of this promotion and practice is to improve self-efficacy (belief in our own abilities), model healthy behavior, and prove the healing aspects of movement, music and other forms of cultural expression,” said a statement on the organization’s website.
Eventually, the organization is focused on setting up a permanent space and opening up its own wellness center. The organization is also focused on bringing back to life two of Garfield Park’s commercial corridors.
Still in the process of being completed, the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative’s plan is to help build businesses on Madison St. and Pulaski Road and give them the tools they need to flourish. Once a place of great economic health, Madison St. and Pulaski Road has been largely ignored, turning them into a breeding ground for violence and litter. By addressing the social inequities and creating better environments, the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative hopes to help the people of Garfield Park live longer and healthier lives.
To help carry out their plans, the organization is calling on citizens of the community. Individuals are encouraged to apply to join them in their mission on the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative website. Members of the community can also attend virtual meetings where they bring to light any issues they have.
The next virtual meeting will be held on Feb. 14.
