| Organization Summary We see the certain, but gradually increasing paradigm shift in the traditional approach to health care in the United States. People of means are aggressively taking the health and welfare of their families into their own hands. Nutrition and fitness is on an explosive climb, specifically because a growing sector of the population is acting on the knowledge that prevention is the key to healthy living and longevity. The term “wellness” does not just define a physical condition, but complete harmony of one’s entire being: Body, Mind and Spirit. We maintain that a healthy and balanced approach to successful living is summed up in the following depiction: The benchmark for 21st century wellness is demonstrated in this integration of human needs, each component dependent upon the other. As many people make this shift into the continuum of wellness, a greater number is excluded because of lack of education and/or resources. Once this cycle of wellness is broken at any point, all remaining components are affected. An example: Urban communities experience an economic breakdown because of the lack of jobs and job skills, which directly affects emotional and physical wellness. If the spiritual foundation is lost, all hope is destroyed and one moves into a spiral of poverty, depression, disease and death. Based on this holistic view, our community’s ills are more readily dissected for remedy, healing, change and growth. Our current health care system emphasizes treatment of illness rather than prevention of disease, which has a catastrophic impact on persons already socially and economically disenfranchised. Impoverished and minority clients tend not to readily seek, nor trust service providers who appear culturally insensitive and out of touch with their actual needs. It has been proven that a community-based organization such as the Monica Lamb Wellness Foundation, Inc., bridges the gap by its culturally competent staff providing sensitivity and trust to wary clients. Primarily, our efforts provide: Preventive Medical Care Services Screenings, Health Fairs and Blood Drives Immunizations for children and seniors Health Maintenance Disease Prevention Seminars HIV/AIDS Testing and Education A Referral Network for more Extensive Detection and Follow-Up Secondarily, to encourage and equip clients to make more positive health choices, we ensure: Health Education and Awareness Campaigns Smoking Cessation/Tobacco Education Nutrition and Diet Abstinence Promotion/Education Diabetes Management Stress Management Breast Cancer Awareness Third, and vital to fulfilling our mission of health and wellness promotion, we offer: Community Outreach and Case Management Projects Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs Life Skills and Parenting Education HIV/AIDS Outreach Program Fitness Classes Health Needs Assessment Community Housing Program for Women and Children Finally, this crucial component to the wellness spectrum could not be ignored in the delivery of our balanced wellness program, through collaborative efforts with community financial institutions and HUD, we make available necessary tools for: Financial Recovery & Wellness Personal Money Management Welfare to Work Program Housing Program to Home Ownership Banking Acumen The scope of projects and programs of the Monica Lamb Wellness Foundation, Inc. adequately reflect the broad range of health and wellness needs indigenous to the community we serve. And while we understand that we cannot be all things to all people, we are resolved in our efforts to do our level best to enrich the lives of those that trust us for assistance and solutions. Monica Lamb has been available to offer her celebrity to help and support many causes, businesses and organizations in Houston and surrounding areas, the state of Texas, throughout the USA and with the US Armed Forces in the Middle East. She has brought a tremendous sense of pride to the Houston community as a player for the four time WNBA Champion Houston Comets basketball team. A leader on and off the court, she is a native Houstonian with a deeply concerned heart for people, their problems and the community. Throughout her life, Monica has continually attempted to help and support under served people in society. In 1999, she established the Monica Lamb Wellness Foundation to help people, especially women and children, overcome life issues and prosper physically, mentally and spiritually. The foundation began by implementing a host of community-based health, education and training programs to reach people neglected or disconnected from the mainstream of American society. This task requires a big person with an even bigger heart and the help of many others. Nothing can be achieved without a vision, a mission and provision. |
