Health and Human Services Day

We started our very full day at 7:30am at the GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER, hosted by Executive Director Katrina Knight and her team.  We toured the facility and learned about the services and resources that they provide to help people in need.  We learned about their connection with local grocery stores as well as the public to collect wholesome food to serve to their guests, which they do for 3 meals every day 365 days a year. Their team served us a delicious breakfast while we listened to the presentation and had the opportunity to ask questions.  We were asked to bring food donations with us and collectively we donated over 180 pounds of food that they will use.
 
From there we traveled to THE ROASTERY on 16^th Street which served as home base for the remainder of the day.  Throughout the day we learned about VIGILANT HOPE, the mission organization which operates The Roastery in service of unhoused and underprivileged people in our community.  But more on that later.
 
Our first presenter was Laurie Whalin, COO at NOVANT HEALTH. We learned about the multitude of facilities they operate and communities they serve in Southeastern North Carolina.  They are expanding rapidly as our community grows and they continue to build an impressive and dedicated team to meet the wide range of needs which must be met.  It was impressive to learn about all of the effort that goes in to keeping up with a growing population and efforts made to recruit and retain the best medical talent around to stay on the cutting edge of healthcare services.
 
Up next was Leadership Wilmington ’24 Classmate Jonathan Campbell, Public Health Director for New Hanover County.  He gave an inspired presentation on the new HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES building in Wilmington, specifically focusing on the amazing people who work there and the services that they provide for the community.  It can be easy to take for granted all of the things they do, ranging from health services to immunizations, from emergency preparedness to pandemic operations and so much more in between.  They also deliver a range of social programs and make a tremendous positive impact on our area every day and we’ll be reminded of all of that hard work each time we pass that building. 
 
From there we met Yasmin Tomkinson with the CAPE FEAR LITERACY COUNCIL and learned so much about the programs and tutoring they offer to adults who struggle with basic competencies in reading, math and computer skills.  These challenges affect all aspects of a person’s life, relationships, careers and overall well-being.  There are plenty of volunteer opportunities for people with a training-based mindset who can commit to one-on-one teaching to make a tremendous impact on someone’s life. 
 
We were joined next by Dawn Ferrer, Executive Director of A SAFE PLACE.  Their work supports victims of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking and brings awareness to the community about these crimes, the survivors and the perpetrators.  They focus on prevention and advocacy for these survivors and work to ensure that transitional housing options are available and safe, trauma-free programs are accessible.  We discussed ways to recognize individuals who may be in crisis and ways to offer guidance to help them get out of their situation.
 
The last presenter of the morning was Lakesha McDay, Executive Vice President of NEW HANOVER COUNTY ENDOWMENT, which provides funding and opportunities to non-profits throughout our area.  They work to determine the needs of each organization and approve grants to meet the needs of the ever-increasing number of organizations in our area which work to provide services for people in so many ways throughout our community.   
 
After a short break, we were hosted by Laura Bullock from Vigilant Hope and Cierra Washington from NORTHSIDE FOOD CO-OP to begin our Grocery Walk, an immersive experience which took up most of the afternoon.  Prior to our experience Cierra read the stirring poem "My Name Is Not 'Those People'" 
by Julia Dinsmore.  We then got up and quickly learned why we were asked to wear comfortable shoes as we broke up into 6 groups, each one led by a volunteer who presented each group with a fictional but reality-based scenario that we were asked to act out.  Each scenario varied, but all put us in the position of someone who struggled to afford wholesome food for a variety of reasons.  We departed the Roastery with a few basic descriptions of our character’s situation and just a few dollars and were tasked with a series of objectives, centered around finding a way to provide for ourselves and/or others on a severely limited amount of money and with various challenges facing us.  We were asked to walk in silence, to put away our phones and to immerse ourselves as much as possible in this scenario to get at least a glimpse of what this person’s realities were.  We walked through various downtown neighborhoods for miles and came back several hours later, concluding a profound exposure to a way of life that is common for many people in our area but which most of us have never lived.  Once we returned, we heard from Laura and Cierra about the work that each of their organizations are doing to assist those who face these challenges.  Laura asked each group to speak about their experiences and as we listened to everyone else there was no one in that room who as not deeply impacted and affected by what we heard.  This experience took up the majority of the afternoon and was well-worth the time, as it provided a sobering and important perspective on the realities of so many people in our area.            
 
After one last break, we were given our WORK ON WILMINGTON Project assignments and reviewed the steps, communications and planning which will carry us from December through April and on to a successful event.  To bring the afternoon to an upbeat and fun conclusion, we enjoyed a presentation by Craig Snow with the GREATER WILMINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL and Tiffany Tucker, the Deputy Director of Athletics at UNCW.  They collaborated on a fun, energetic and informative presentation centered on effective networking.  We met the various personalities you tend to meet at these events and were given many tips on the best approaches to these events and how powerful they can be in helping you expand your network and accomplish your goals. 
 
We were exposed to so many amazing people, representing such remarkable organizations and were presented with meaningful information in a way that we will all remember for many years.  Having participated in today’s event has without a doubt expanded our horizons and taught us an enormous amount about our neighborhoods, its people, our challenges and how we can all contribute to the betterment of our community.