jamal
is BACK!
The Story of Jamal Appleseed is a comic series written by and for
minority young adults.
We now have our second installment of Jamal (supported by a grant from
Dade Community Foundation.)
Here's our online version for your viewing
pleasure! First, read the comic then please take
the SURVEY because it's YOU, our readers
who tell us whether we're on the right
track! We also want your ideas us create the storyline for future issues.
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pioneer
winter nominated for young activist award
June 2010: Andi Thomas, executive director just
submitted Pioneer Winter's nomination to the Mario Savio Young Activists
Award program.
This national program provides a $6,000
award split between the nominee and his/her organization in recognition
of outstanding achievement in addressing social, health and economic
justice issues.
"Reaching The Surface" was Pioneer's first
independent project. He used both his artistic and public health
backgrounds to address stigma, infidelity, domestic violence, HIV
diagnosis and treatment costs. Wish both Pioneer and ALERT Health
luck!
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alert
health USES
THE ARTS TO challenge STIGMA
June 2010: ALERT's newest project called "Reaching The
Surface" is a blend of contemporary dance, spoken word and live music to
increase awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS stigma. Artists both
affected and infected by HIV entertained and educated
through compelling and relatable stories.
The performances were open to the public and
free, targeting two of Miami-Dade's highly-impacted
neighborhoods:
-
June 4, 2010 @ 8pm at the
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Plaza, 770 NE 125 Street,
North Miami, 33161. Reception follows at ALERT Health.
-
June 5, 2010 @ 8pm at the
Little Haiti Cultural Center, 260 NE 59 Terrace, Miami,
33137. Reception follows in the theatre lobby.
"Stigma is a community-wide issue
that prevents thousands from seeking needed services" said Andi Thomas,
ALERT Health's executive director. Lifelong professional dancer
and Reaching The Surface Artistic Director Pioneer Winter, MPH added
"The performances will spark raw emotions, inspire new beliefs,
and hopefully begin a healing for all."
Reaching The Surface sponsors include the
Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the City of North
Miami with support from a host of community partners including North
Miami's Mayor Andre Pierre, Councilman Scott Galvin and world-renowned
dancer and choreographer
Robert La Fosse.
Join us for a dynamic and entertaining
evening.
For more information, please contact
Pioneer Winter at
305.893.7992 x106.
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jamal
appleseed
issue #1
To read the
 first issue of Jamal Appleseed, click below or stop by our office to pick up a few (one for you and
some for your friends).
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New year and new look
We are proud to announce the
redecorating of our waiting area in honor of the passing of Honey &
Cody. We asked that our friends/family donate for this upgrade so our
clients would feel more welcome.
Above is the picture of the "old" waiting room. Take a look at the
below photo gallery to see how your donations uplifted our look and
spirits. We graciously thank all of the individual and corporate
donors who helped us memorialize our much loved co-workers and family.
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goodbye
to Cody & Honey
ALERT Health lost two
of our staff family in July 2009. Please honor them by reading about
their contributions to our organization and to our lives....
beloved cody: 1987 - 2009
Dear
Friends,
It's with
deep sadness that I let you know that my son and loyal co-worker Cody
Logan Thomas passed away on 7/22/09 at the young age of
twenty-two.
Many
things can be said about Cody. He was friendly and loving, thoughtful
and empathic, with a compassionate nature that would always shine
through.
Cody was charming
with a warmhearted, gentle way of bringing out the best in all of those around
him. He was imaginative, ingenious, clever and a “novel” thinker. He
was truly one-of-a-kind and could always put a smile on your face.
Raised in Plantation, Florida, Cody made
friends easily throughout his life and was loyal to them all. He was sensitive
to the world around him, always putting others first, especially his family.
Even as a child, Cody possessed the unique ability to light up any room.
Whether his peers were older or younger or from different backgrounds, he was a
friend to all.
Cody was an integral part of the
non-profit family business - ALERT Health, working with his mother (Andi), Nana
(Honey) and sister. He was always thinking outside of the box and
that made the organization stronger. His family considered it an honor and a
blessing to have worked side-by-side with him as he grew personally and
professionally into a fine young man.
In his spare time he loved riding his
Harley, fishing and getting tattooed. However, to Cody, the most fun to be had
was simply spending time with his girlfriend Ashlei, his many friends and his
family. He genuinely enjoyed sharing his passions with others.
He constantly strived to make his family
proud in every aspect of his life and connected deeply with his Nana, Honey
Rosen, who preceded him in death by one week. Cody leaves behind him a legacy of
life-long friendships and cherished memories. Everyone whose lives he touched
will dearly remember Cody Logan Thomas.
Much like his Nana, Cody would have wanted
his friends to
donate in his name to ALERT in lieu of flowers or other gifts.
Services were held at Forest Lawn Chapel
in Davie on 7/25/09. Cody was laid to rest In The Arms of God.
Please watch Cody's
Memorial Video...
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beloved honey: 1930 - 2009
 Dear
Friends,
I want you to know that my beloved mother and co-worker Honey passed away peacefully Tuesday morning
07/14/09 after a long battle with cancer.
Honey lead an exciting and full life. She was a full-time working mother (back
when that wasn't cool), an active member of her temple, a model, an actress, a
private pilot, a real estate broker, a healthcare administrator overseeing
several multi-specialty clinics in Dade and Broward Counties, and finally, Hep-C
ALERT/ALERT Health's senior counselor providing support and care for people
affected/effected by chronic hepatitis C.
Honey was "larger than life" and a tremendous role model. Although she had many
high-profile and profitable jobs throughout her life, she would tell you that
helping people as a hotline counselor gave her more profound personal and
spiritual fulfillment than any job she ever had.
Anyone who had the honor of speaking with Honey through the national Hep-C
hotline should know that she could recall your exact conversation without a
moment's hesitation - even years later because each person she counseled became
family. Honey family. Despite her declining health, she continued to staff the
hotline through the end of May.
True to her character, Honey asked that we not hold a memorial service but
rather come together to celebrate her life and to heal each other.
We will be “Celebrating Honey” at her
home Saturday, July 18th, 2009 between 11am - 2pm. I hope that you can join us. Nothing fancy, just good food, good memories and
good company. Just the way she would like it.
For those who may not know, Honey is my mother. For more than a decade,
we worked side-by-side for this cause. When my children became adults, they
joined the organization as well. I think that's something
really special. She did too.
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