Community Outreach

September

National Childhood Obesity Month, about 1 in 5 (19%) children in the United States has obesity. Certain groups of children are more affected than others. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides a chance for all of us to learn more about this serious health condition. While there is no simple solution, there are many ways communities can support children with their journey to good health. Yellow is the ribbon color for Childhood Obesity Month.

September: National Recovery Month, Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sponsors Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who have recovered. Turquoise is the ribbon color for Recovery Month.

October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease. There are about 1.38 million new cases and 458,000 deaths from breast cancer each year (IARC Globocan, 2008). Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, both in the developed and developing countries. In low- and middle-income countries the incidence has been rising up steadily in the last years due to increase in life expectancy, increase urbanization and adoption of western lifestyles. Pink is the ribbon color for Breast Cancer Month.

October: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, October was first declared as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1989. Since then, October has been a time to acknowledge domestic violence survivors and be a voice for its victims. Domestic violence is prevalent in every community, and affects all people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality. Physical violence is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior as part of a much larger, systematic pattern of dominance and control. Purple is the ribbon color for Domestic Violence Month.

October: World Mental Health Day, is observed on 10th of October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. Green is the ribbon color for Mental Health Day.

October

September 2022 Days: October 2022 Days:

5th International Day of Charity 5th Labor Day (United States) 8th International Literacy Day 10th World Suicide Prevention Day 13th World Sepsis Day 15th International Day of Democracy 21st International Day of Peace 22nd World Rhino Day 27th World Tourism Day 28th World Rabies Day 29th World Rivers Day 29th World Heart Day

Month Long Awareness:

National Childhood Obesity Month National Recovery Month World Alzheimer’s Month Biodiversity Month Healthy Aging Month World Sepsis Month and Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month 1st International Day of Older Persons 2nd International Day of Nonviolence 4th World Animal Day 5th World Teachers’ Day 6th World Cerebral Palsy Day 7th World Habitat Day 8th World Sight Day 9th World Post Day 10th World Mental Health Day 10th World Homeless Day 11th International Day of the Girl Child 12th Indigenous Peoples’ Day / Columbus Day (United States) 12th World Arthritis Day 15th International Day of Rural Women 16th World Food Day 16th Global Cat Day 17th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 18th World Values Day 24th United Nations Day 27th World Day of Audiovisual Heritage 29th World Internet Day 31st World Cities Day

Month Long:

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Domestic Violence Awareness Month Cyber Security Month Down Syndrome Awareness Month (United States) Energy Awareness Month (United States) Hunger Awareness Month (United States) Learning Disabilities Awareness Month (United States) LGBT History Month (United States) National Economic Education Month SIDS Awareness Month (United States)

Community Outreach

The Love of Kai’s House

By Karen McConnell-Jones

How does a non-profit organizations help to play a key role in our community and why are they considered to be an effective way to outreach back into the community? The reason is that most non-profits are establish by people that come from a serving heart. They take the love, desire, and the passion that they have to serve people and address the needs of our community. They provide services that helps bring solutions and help keep our community moving forward.

Rev. Christi Rojas is the Founder of Kai's House, a non-profit organization, created to support black young adults between the ages of 18-23 by teaching them life skills and spiritual laws and principles in an experiential learning environment.

Christi was born and raised in Washington, DC. She has served the community as a Realtor in the DC, MD and VA area for nearly two decades. She discovered early in life that her mission on the planet was to build relationships and to serve. In 2018 she continued her spiritual journey and enrolled in a personal development program at Inner Visions Institute of Spiritual Development. It was there that the seed which had been planted for the vision of Kai's House was watered and began to sprout.

In 2021 she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Metaphysical Science and became an ordained minister. Kai’s House is the vehicle that fulfills her intention to be the change she desires to see in the world. Her desire is to reach as many young people as possible, realizing that each light makes the world a brighter place.

Christi knew from a very young age that she loved to serve. Service is not what she does; it’s who she is. So, whether Christi is running the non-profit, wearing her realtor hat, being a mom, sister, or friend, she is always in service. When her kids were younger, her house was the house on the block that all their friends came to. Even when Christi shopped for groceries, she shopped with the idea in mind that she was feeding more than just her own children and as time went on and they got older, she realized that the feeding she was doing was deeper than food for their bodies. She was also feeding their souls. “I never imagined, when Kai’s House started that it would grow into a non-profit. It was simply my goal to support a young man in need. We took him into our home with the intention of giving guidance and a chance for him to get on his feet. That was in 2017. In 2018 I began a personal development program where I learned the spiritual laws and principles that I now teach at Kai’s House. By 2020, there were two more young men in the house and it was at that time that I realized the need for what I was learning and teaching was much greater than I could serve on my own. May of 2020 is officially when the non-profit was formed.”

“Again, I must state, one of the major objectives of Kai’s House is to teach the spiritual laws and principles that will support them in becoming not only independent, but to experience abundance in all aspects of their lives. The spiritual laws and principles, once applied in their lives, support them in holding themselves accountable and taking 100% responsibility for their lives. I connect with them through these teachings and also by sharing my own experiences with them.

For Christi, this is the primary and most notable way she can give back to her community. As mentioned, her life, is a life of service. She’s always wants to be in a space of giving and contributing, to enhance the growth of a person. In ministerial school they had a saying “we don’t fit ministry into our life. We fit our life into ministry. It’s not what I do. It’s who I am. ” Christi shared how she is inspired by Iyanla Vanzant. It is at her institute, Inner Visions Institute of Spiritual Development, where Christi really began to unfold. She really got a chance to know herself, in her true being and to develop a more intimate relationship with God. What was taught there, she found it in bits and pieces from various places, but in that space it all came together. The Personal Development program was truly the inspiration for Kai’s House. Realizing, if she had known at eighteen what she was learning in her fifties, the trajectory of her life would have been totally different.

Christi explained,

“ vision is a picture/plan in my mind of a goal I’m committed to accomplishing. It is the result of creativity and imagination and is typically spurred by a need to solve a problem or enhance a current condition. Purpose is the reason I am here. It the reason I do what I do. It is the thing that drives me to get up and make the moves I make.

Christi continues to share that one of her proudest moments at Kai’s House was when she hears the young people coaching each other and when she sees them exposing their friends and family to what they ’ ve learned in the program. This is way in the future she would like to create a Kai’s House campus. This would consist of land that includes housing for the residents. It would also include land for a garden where they could experience growing their own food. A campus will allow for more young people to be in the same space. Living together while they learn is what makes the program work. They get to learn the laws and principles in a space where others are learning the same thing at the same time and can hold each other accountable.

Generation Z, is the generation served by Kai’s House. They are in a position to make real change in the world today. Christi believes that Kai’s House and organizations like it, can provide the tools and skillset that is needed to support Generation Z, as they become our next leaders and serving hearts of our community.