HOPE Project Leader Spotlight: Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri, YAB Steering Committee Representative
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Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri, Youth Action Board - Steering Committee Representative
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This month, we would like to recognize Nazshonnii Brown-Almaweri and her contributions to our collaborative.
Nazshonnii, a graduating senior, has been a part of HOPE's Youth Action Board (YAB) since 2010. She joined HOPE with the intention of learning more about promoting healthy living to her peers and gaining new mentors in a professional setting. Having experienced the lack of fresh and nutritional produce in her neighborhood in Oakland, she was excited to join an organization advocating for change.
Nazshonnii joined the Steering Committee (SC) in 2012, as a YAB representative. Since then, she has been responsible for establishing communication between the YAB and the SC. For example, presenting YAB's proposals to the SC.
Having recently decided to attend Union College in New York, Nazshonnii's invaluable hard work and leadership will be missed when she deaprts from HOPE in July. If you would like to make a contribution to help Nazshonnii complete her educational goals, please visit her Indiegogo fundraising page at http://igg.me/at/Naz/x/3481437. |
Best of Luck to Becca Tumposky
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Becca Tumposky, HOPE Project Associate
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HOPE Collaborative bids farewell (for now) to Becca Tumposky, Project Associate at HOPE. Becca will be moving on to a Masters program in Urban Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University.
Over the past three years, Becca has staffed HOPE's built environment and community engagement work. She has played a key role in coordinating HOPE's leadership development programming, including two Leadership Institutes, coordinated the Elmhurst Neighborhood Planning Initiative, and worked closely with the Alameda County Public Health Department and other partners on healthy city planning efforts. Becca has also helped initiate and build strong partnerships with many HOPE Collaborative members. We are sad to see her go but wish her well in her next steps!
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Announcing New Food Systems and Built Environment Co-Chairs
HOPE is excited to announce and introduce the new Food Systems and Built Environment Action Team Co-Chairs.
Food Systems: Paula Beal and Esperanza Pallana
| Paula Beal |
Paula Beal graduated from HOPE's first Leadership Institute in 2012 and has been an active participant of HOPE's food systems and built environment work for the past few years. She is passionate about food justice and also volunteers with Peoples Grocery and serves on the Oakland Food Policy Council.
| Esperanza Pallana
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Serving as co-chair to the Food Systems Action Team gives Esperanza an opportunity to ensure a strong alliance between the Oakland Food Policy Council and HOPE Collaborative, to strengthen the success of food based initiatives. Also as co-chair, she is at the forefront of HOPE's most exciting and innovative work! Built Environment: Eliezer Mendoza and David Ralston | Eliezer Mendoza | Eliezer is a long-time resident of the Elmhurst neighborhood and has been working actively on HOPE's neighborhood planning work. He is currently a student at San Francisco State University and a fellow with the Rose Foundation. We are grateful to have him on board, and always impressed by his mapping skills. | David Ralston
| David has been working with HOPE since the planning phase and has a keen interest and passion for revitalizing Oakland neighborhoods and creating sustainable ecologically engaged communities. In addition to his service at HOPE, he is a planner for the City of Oakland and an adjunct professor at Merritt College.
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Sustainability for Equitable Impact
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HOPE community partners at the 2013 W.K. Kellogg's Food & Community Convening in Kansas City.
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HOPE Collaborative attended the 2013 Food & Community Grantee and Partners meeting: Sustainability for Equitable Impact in Kansas City. Attendees took this opportunity to meet, connect with, and learn from partners and allies across the country that are part of the same movement to rebuild local food systems, improve school food, and create healthier built environments. Three HOPE representatives presented at the convening. HOPE Project Director, Sabrina Wu co-facilitated a workshop with Omowale Satterwhite on building positive organizational partnerships. Mia Luluquisen from the Alameda County Public Health Department co-facilitated a session on "Mapping our work to the indicators: Community and Civic Engagement". Esther Goolsby, Community Leader for the Elmhurst Neighborhood Project, presented on a panel entitled "Innovative Built Environment Work". Some of the projects she shared about included bike and pedestrian improvements, and planting and beautifying city owned planter strips throughout the Elmhurst neighborhood through Changing Our Grounds, an adopt-a-plot project. Community partners who attended the convening returned rejuvenated and motivated to continue their work in creating opportunities for low-income children, youth, and families. |
HOPE Seeks Community Partners for a Healthy Grocery Program
HOPE Collaborative is looking to partner with community-based organizations to bring healthy food to your neighborhood. This program will be a comprehensive food retailer improvement initiative targeted at Oakland corner stores to provide Oakland flatland residents access to high-quality fresh and prepared food options.
We are looking for community partners who have a strong presence in a flatland neighborhood, positive relationships with a large base of neighborhood residents, run programming in or have a focus in health, nutrition, and food justice and/or economic and small business development, want to work with stores and residents to get better food into the neighborhood, and are interested in participating in a community collaborative. HOPE can offer support including stipends for community members to work with select organizations and HOPE, mini-grants to select organizations to partner with us to implement this program in your neighborhood, technical assistance and consultancy services to stores enrolled in the program, community education and outreach materials to support the program, training on how to implement education and outreach tools, development of a policy incentive program and creation of a learning and support community to support program sustainability and success.
To get involved or for more information, please contact Sabrina@hopecollaborative.net or call (510) 444-4291.
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