"Inspiring Communities Everywhere!"
i g n e n B i n g w s! e N
pg 10 Community Heroes Community News Flash pg 39 Birthday Shout-outs! pg 55
Contents 6 14
20
Health & Wellness
22
Political Awareness
25
Education is Key
Inspirational Moments Business & Entrepreneurship
30 Cover Story
Here’s to New Beginnings!
28
Community Monthly Awareness
40
Community Outreach
45
Authors Speak
48
All Things Fashion
52
Arts & Media
Community is Everywhere! 10 Community Hero 12 Inside the Community 39 Community News Flash 55 Community Birthday Shoutouts
www.vandpmediaproductions.com
Health & Wellness
A Heart Healthy Diet By Chef Jason Greene
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he human heart is the most vital and important part of our anatomy. Its main functions are to pump oxygenated blood and hormones throughout the body to supply nutrients to tissues in all organs, receive deoxygenated blood removing waste and pumping it to the lungs for oxygenation, as well as maintain our blood pressure. We as conscious individuals have to maintain a certain level of care for this organ and the first line of defense is maintaining a heart healthy diet. Maintaining a heart healthy diet is very simple, there are a few items that can be added to your diet to help or might just already be part of it unknowingly. There are four basic food groups that can help maintain a healthy heart: Berries, Seeds, Legumes and Fish.
Berries provide the body with soluble fiber and phytonutrients which are plant-based chemical compounds that help fight bacteria and viruses. Berries are also loaded with antioxidants which have the power to stop oxidation in the body, leading to tissue damage. I suggest trying blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or raspberries. These berries can be added to cereal or yogurt on a daily basis to help maintain a healthy heart diet. Seeds such as flaxseed contain omega-3 fatty acids and phytoestrogens which are plant estrogens that can lower risk of cardiovascular disease as well as lower the risk of menopausal symptoms in woman such as hot flashes and osteoporosis. This seed in ground or milled form is best to reap the greatest benefit. Chia seeds contain omega-3, fiber and quercetin which is an antioxidant that can reduce the risk of heart disease. Chia seeds are best if they are eaten whole.
Legumes are dried beans and lentils such as kidney, pinto, garbanzo and black beans are full of fiber, minerals and B-vitamins; which help with neurological functions, DNA production and red blood cell development. Beautiful health benefits about Legumes are that they are all very low in fat, possess no cholesterol and they provide the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk. Chili is a great way to eat legumes especially during these cold winter months.
Fish are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and key vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin) which help the body convert food into energy and helps the body metabolize fats and protein. Fish is also rich in calcium and phosphorus and are a great source of minerals like iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium and potassium. Fatty fish such as Salmon contain the highest levels of omega-3 and are the most beneficial to maintaining a healthy heart diet. There are lots of additional particular foods loaded with necessary vitamins to help the heart such as dark chocolates, dark green vegetables and red wine. But the four key foods are berries, seeds, legumes and fish. You can actually create a daily diet utilizing those four food groups and be as healthy as can be. It’s true that maintaining a healthy diet is a lifestyle choice, so I suggest that the choice should always be made wisely.
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Here’s to
ew Beginnings are all around us. It could be as simple as a change of a season. The change of a new year, like where we are now. But what does it really mean to have new beginnings? It could mean several things such as starting over, rebirth, refresh, do over, or just a new phase in one’s life. For the V&P Team, it means we are changing and moving in a new direction. Yes, we are the “new and improved” Vision & Purpose (V&P) Community Magazine and Media Productions and, yes, we are stronger than ever before. It is definitely true what they say, what doesn’t break you will truly make you STRONGER! This is the year and our season for ELEVATION! Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you”, said the Lord. “They are plans for good and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Where did it all start? V&P magazine’s humble beginnings started in my home. To be more exact, it was a gathering of 35 people in the basement of my home. It was the beginning of a magazine based on love, vision and purpose. By the end of the meeting 21 people would journey on to help birth the Vision & Purpose (V&P) Magazine.
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It was so fitting. The concept of mine along with my partner at the time, was to find writers, editors, a designer, and other members of the team that were in their purpose and who would lend their gifts and talents to the birth of such a wonderful magazine. I can remember us preparing for the meeting at my house and my partner saying, “There is “no” way that we will find people who are willing to be a part of a magazine and give their talent to us for free”. I clearly remember saying, “Oh yes, they will! If they believe in the vision and if we can find the right people that are in their purpose for each of the columns that we came up with, then they would love to have a chance to show off their hard work and have it in print.” All 21 “yeses” did just that.
New Beginnings! It is so ironic that my basement has been the starting point of great concepts that would later come to fruition. Actually, the name for the magazine came from the extension of my other company Class Act Productions, LLC. We started a Vision Conference in the basement of my home as a fundraiser to support and sponsor the Class Act Community Awards. We were honoring the youth and needed funding to help with some of the expenses. The Vision Conference went so well that we outgrew my basement and at year five, it was the beginning of taking what is now called “The Vision Experience” to a public venue. When I first came up with the name for the magazine, it was Vision Inspires Purpose (VIP) magazine but there were so many VIP names out there already that we decided to drop the “I” and be V&P (Vision & Purpose) Magazine. V&P Magazine’s first edition came out in March 2020, being intentional with our purpose and for the purpose of having the launch during Women’s History Month. We also wanted to acknowledge that the publication is owned by two women. Unbeknown to us, this would be the same day that five COVID cases were reported in Prince George’s County, Maryland. After our launch we had an emergency team meeting to discuss the future of this newly established magazine and the construction of what was supposed to be our new media headquarters. With all of the challenges on the team, they remained strong in their stance of continuing to produce the magazine even if we had to go digital for a moment and do away with the printed version for a while. Because of the team’s belief in continuing forward, we did just that. However, I had to make the hard decision to put the construction on hold for the new headquarters. We moved forward with the magazine and our next edition of the digital version was a hit. We decided to dedicate the front cover to the time that we were in, facing the COVID-19 Pandemic, but to show it in a positive light. So, we created this beautiful image to display on the front cover instead of having a featured guest. It went over so well with the community that they demanded that we go back to print even if it meant the magazine would cost more. This is when we knew for sure, it was all about “Inspiring Our Community” because as we say “community”, is what, “everywhere!” We listened and by September 2020, we fought our way back to print. We truly wanted to be that positive voice for our community. As the magazine celebrated it’s one-year anniversary, March 2021, we made a decision that it was now time to go ahead with the construction of the media headquarters. So, in May 2021 the construction had begun and the grand opening was set for July 2021. By this time, the magazine was known as Vision & Purpose (V&P) Lifestyle Magazine & Media. The two owners were planning to officially change the name once the doors opened. Everything was going so well until it wasn’t.
by Karen McConnell-Jones Vision & Purpose Community Magazine
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Arts & Media
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he creative arts have accompanied civilization for eons. Through its various languages of music, dance, film, books and more, art has offered social commentary, epic storytelling, historic insight along with timeless beauty. What a resource creativity is. Can we make greater usage of it and by being more intentional in our engagement of art, can we benefit more from it in the year 2022 and beyond? Some examples of how a few spaces within modern society are doing so, with success, may point the way.
Art: A New Year of Treasure and Purpose By Seth Washington
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Write The Vision Vision Boards use the art of pictures and graphics to enhance one’s ability to believe for what the heart desires. This methodology is often encouraged for the attainment of medium and long-range goals. To motivate the process, a gathering is convened known as a vision party wherein several friends or associates use this time to verbally proclaim their plans while displaying their vibrantly crafted boards. A collage of sorts, the boards contain images, graphics, affirmations, as well as words that specify the goal(s) to be achieved. In this way, vision boards fulfill the scripture Habbakuk 2:2 that says, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it”. Indeed, the pictures and graphics enhance the ability to make it plain. In a similar way, well crafted and well placed images within the living space can be used to reinforce certain, everyday, standards. For example, a nicely framed painting of a clean kitchen speaks volumes ever so quietly. A vibrant photo of two adults who appear to be speaking quite passionately yet respectfully can reinforce the blessing of maintaining one’s cool. Art in the home that makes it plain can help to keep things simple.
Say Amen One of society’s most purposeful utilizations of music happens during church service. Beginning with praise and worship, the choir leads the congregation into a higher state of readiness to fellowship. At different points further into the service, music is used as an anointed uplift that precedes prayer, offering and the sermon. In these ways, the choir is helping to shape the collective energy, pointing it toward the direction of appropriate mental and spiritual awareness in the moment. Likewise, pro athletes have specific playlists that emanate from their headphones in pre-game moments. University and high school marching bands routinely perform what are known as ‘fight’ songs. They are played during the game and at pep rallies to inspire their team. How cool would it be for a family to have a theme song, it’s own line dance and a unified inspirational prayer? The family that sings, steps and prays together, imagine.
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