Overtown Youth Center (OYC) recently announced that it is a finalist in Aetna’s Voices of Health campaign.
Online voting is under way at www.aetnavoicesofhealth.com. The voting period continues through Nov. 9 for 63 nominated non-profit organizations across six states that are working to improve health and well-being in their communities.
Aetna will award $20,000 to the groups that receive the most online votes and $10,000 to the second-place finishers in Atlanta, Columbus, Houston, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, South Florida and among four counties in California. In total, 14 winners will vie for $210,000 in grants.
The organizations selected to participate in this year’s Voices of Health promote health by addressing a wide range of community issues such as childhood obesity, access to affordable prescriptions and healthcare, HIV/AIDS prevention and services and helping homeless families become more self-sufficient, just to name a few. While the Voices of Health is a competition, the program aims to help facilitate a network for the local non-profits in each community to leverage each other’s services, allowing for more holistic access to a variety of services available to those who need them.
“For urban communities facing barriers to achieving college degrees and other barriers to sustainable employment, exposure and a commitment to increasing economic mobility through magnifying vocational options and assisting individuals every step of the way is how we will stabilize our families and build stronger communities,” said Tina Brown, OYC executive director.
The “Aetna Voices of Health” website will feature a one-minute video from each organization describing how the prize money would help them further their mission. Groups will be reaching out for votes in a number of different ways, including sharing their videos through social media and other communication channels.
Local 2018 “Aetna Voices of Health” honorees are: Education Fund; Overtown Youth Center; Branches; Casa Valentina, and Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation (Miami).
The mission of the Overtown Youth Center (OYC) is to inspire and empower youth and families by fostering hope through enrichment services. Co-founded by real-estate developer Martin Z. Marguiles and NBA Hall-of-Famer Alonzo Mourning, OYC is a year-round youth development agency providing: in-school, after school and summer programming, a parent enrichment program and post-high school support to over 400 youth and families in the Overtown neighborhood and surrounding areas.
The agency offers a full range of services including educational enrichment, recreational activities, mentoring, literacy initiatives, performing arts, prevention and life skills/training for at-risk youth.
For more information, visit www.overtownyouth.org.
