Souper Bowl of Caring, Art After Dark, Heart

Hustle Health & Wellness Fest, and the SWFL Black History Tour

The Southwest Florida Chapter encourages members to lead healthy lifestyles and focuses on the entire family in order to make a difference. They started the month of February with a “Souper Bowl of Caring- Tackling Hunger Canned Food Drive” during Superbowl weekend.

On February 24, 2023, eleven of our Teens, also known as the Trailblazers traveled to West Palm Beach for the Art After Dark event hosted by the Palm Beach Chapter. Teens from neighboring South Florida chapters also traveled from their respective cities. The attire was semi-formal with sneakers. All Teens represented well in their own unique style. Registration kicked off the evening, and each Teen had the chance to personalize a book that would be donated. Next came the tour of the Norton Museum of Art. There was a racial injustice piece the Teens took individual pictures in front of.

Each teen was required to stand up during dinner and respond to three preselected questions from the teen members of the host chapter. The icebreaker game generated laughter and conversation. Following dinner, the Teens posed for a black-and-white caricature and enjoyed the rest of the evening with a silent disco. It was fascinating to see how well the Teens interacted with each other. The hot topic was Teen Leadership Conference. After this program, our teens expressed excitement for any other possible future collaborations as well as the Teen Leadership Conference.

To raise awareness about heart health, moms wore red to their February chapter meeting. Families participated in the Heart Hustle Health & Wellness Fest and 5K walk/run presented by Increase the Peach Fitness Studio and Sozo Wellness Center on Saturday, February 25th. On Mission and On Purpose, this event promotes healthy living through a day of "edutainment". Before the 5K, Jacks and Jills enjoyed a very informative interactive tour of The Williams Academy Black History Museum led by their board Chairman Mr. Charles E Barnes Jr. a Fort Myers native, retired military, and retired Captain from the Lee County Sheriff's Office

Throughout the day, children were able to speak to multiple African American entrepreneurs in the health industry. Jill Lydia-Joi (grade 6) conducted a brief presentation on the special meaning behind colors in African Culture and distributed African necklace-making kits and African-print socks to participants. Children were fascinated as they discovered many interesting facts about the significant role of African Americans in the Southwest Florida area.