Overview
Healthy Belvedere promotes healthy eating and active living through community-based and community driven strategies. The goal is to reduce the incidences, ill-effects and health disparities associated with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, cardio-vascular disease, etc.
Obesity disproportionately affects people in communities that face discrimination, poverty and a lack of education and community resources. Data from the Department of Human Resource’s study on overweight and obesity in Georgia show that:
- Adults living in households earning less than $15,000 are twice as likely to be obese as those living in households earning $75,000 or more.
- African American adults (67%) are more likely to be overweight or obese than whites (56%), and similarly, African American middle and high school youth were more likely to be overweight than their white counterparts.
- Only 40% of Georgia adults are regularly active, and only two out of three students in middle and high school exercise vigorously.
In addition:
- 9,780 – number of deaths in Georgia attributed to obesity and overweight (2005).
- 17% of DeKalb County high school students were overweight and 12% were obese.
- 21% of Latino students were more likely to be obese than other ethnic groups.
Grantmaking
The grantmaking process is unique, providing an extended opportunity for community buy-in and involvement. Healthy Belvedere provides small grants to residents and community stakeholders who implement the concept of “small wins” through tangible programs and activities to improve healthy eating and active living in youth and adults. By 2011, the Foundation expects to grant up to $1 million to the Belvedere community. For more information, visit the Healthy Belvedere website at www.healthybelvedere.org.
Leadership
A Belvedere leadership group comprised of approximately 20 residents, public, private and nonprofit sector members has been convened to plan and implement the program activities. Their role is to gain broad input on the community’s vision for health and to promote healthy eating and active living as a new culture of Belvedere.
Partners
Healthy Belvedere is a partnership between Kaiser Foundation Health Plan for Georgia, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and the community of Belvedere in southeast DeKalb County, Georgia. Healthy Belvedere is one of several “Community Health Initiative” sites established by Kaiser across the nation. A full listing of all community partners is below:
- Belvedere Civic Club
- Christian Jubilee Full Word Baptist Church
- Christ the Lord Church of Atlanta
- The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
- DeKalb County Board of Education member Sarah Copelin-Wood
- DeKalb County Board of Health
- DeKalb County Commissioner, Larry Johnson, District 3
- DeKalb County Community Development Department
- DeKalb County Parks & Recreation
- DeKalb Prevention Alliance, Incorporated
- G & G Organics
- Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health
- Georgia State University Health Policy Center
- GoodWill of North Georgia
- Kaiser Permanente
- Knollwood Elementary
- Now Faith International Ministries
- Oakhurst Medical Center
- Social Capital Consulting, LLC
- Solomon's Porch Ministries
- South Candler Neighborhood Advocates
- State of Georgia House of Representatives- Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, District 85
- YMCA
- Washington Mutual
Contact
For more information about Healthy Belvedere, please contact David Gibbs, health programs manager, at 404-931-1838 or Kimberly Austin, program associate at 404-526-1103.
Recent Support
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“Love Your Neighbor” Community Dinner
Covered by the Blood Family Outreach Ministries of Now Faith International Ministries hosted the “Love Your Neighbor” Community Dinner in the Belvedere Kroger Shopping Center Community Room. The event promoted healthy eating on a budget and was an opportunity for Belvedere residents to fellowship with one another over a home-cooked meal. With funding support from this grant and partnerships with organizations such as Kroger, Cartier’s Fine Linens, Official Entertainment Kitchen, and Empowerment Center, the community dinner fed and educated more than 85 people of various age groups and taught participants about healthy eating.
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Seniors Involved in Good Health (SIGH)
Life Enrichment Services (LES) is a Decatur-based organization serving seniors in the community through the talents of other seniors. LES held five learning sessions in the Belvedere Community on topics such as exercise from the far East, meditation, diabetes and hypertension. More than 100 DeKalb residents attended the Seniors Involved in Good Health programs with 100% agreement that the presentations enhanced knowledge on the subject area. Seventy percent of the participants said they were likely or very likely to attend another session, and 84% said they would use the suggestions discussed in the presentations to enhance their health. Partners in the program were Kroger Shopping Center, Saint Phillip AME and Christ the Lord Church of Atlanta.
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Mothers & Daughters: Healing the Patterns of Generations by a nearby Belvedere resident, Bernadette Frazier of People of Promise
The project was a one-day event taken on to encourage female family members (mother/ stepmom to daughters, grandmother to granddaughters, aunt to nieces and female cousin to female cousin) to team up and support each other in efforts to eat healthy, exercise and cook healthier. Family members discussed their current unhealthy habits, reviewed their family medical history and re-established better eating habits in hopes of altering any negative family medical history.