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Monthly Newsletter

January 2024 Edition

Here’s some things we wish for in 2024:

  1. Anyone who doesn’t have enough to eat is fed.
  2. Families who lack a stable place to live find housing.
  3. Students who feel anxious or lost are engaged and encouraged to follow their dreams.
  4. Children have access to quality child-care and opportunities to read.
  5. Seniors who are alone are seen and make connections that bring them enjoyment.

We hope you will join us in making our wishes come true!


Holiday Celebration

at Active for Life Senior Center

Our Active for Life Senior Center hosted a sit-down 5-course Holiday Dinner for 50 seniors sponsored by two generous donors, FedEx Ground and an anonymous donor. The meal was prepared by the incomparable Chef Olafemi Mandley. Macedonia FACE staff put on their bow ties and served the feast. In addition, the FedEx Ground DE&I Council & Duquesne University’s Office of Civic Engagement along with faculty member Dr. Deanna Fracul provided gifts so that every senior received something special. FACE board member and FedEx Ground DE&I Council

Co-Lead, Shanicka Kennedy, volunteered at the event. A merry time was had by all while Paul “Tony” Tyler, an Active for Life member, provided festive music. It was a joyous occasion!

National Black HIV Awareness Day

Did you know that 1 in 8 people who have HIV don’t know their status?


Black Americans have carried a higher burden of HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic. While representing 14% of the US population, Black Americans are 40% of individuals with HIV/AIDS. This higher burden is driven by racism, HIV stigma, homophobia, poverty, and barriers to healthcare. 



On February 7, 2024, Macedonia FACE will participate in National Black HIV Awareness Day to bring attention to how HIV disproportionately affects Black people. We join to mobilize the community to combat HIV/AIDS and to address the factors that contribute to the disparity.

Join us for local events commemorating the day:

For more information about HIV/AIDS in the community, see the article below from the National Institutes of Health:

https://www.oar.nih.gov/about/directors-corner/national-black-hivaids-awareness-day-taking-action-improve-health-outcomes

In his speech denouncing the war in Vietnam given at the Riverside Church in New York City in 1967, Martin Luther King said: 


"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." 

Dr. King was opposed to war in general but particularly he believed, “War is an enemy of the poor.


He understood that poverty was most often not a result of a failure of character, but a result of racist policies and practices that created disparities in resources and opportunities. 


At Macedonia FACE, we are committed to addressing the disparities that impact African American families and other vulnerable populations. 

WISE NEIGHBOR

Macedonia FACE and our partner Vintage Senior Center are working together to improve the health and lives of seniors in the Hill, East Liberty and Homewood communities. Supported by a grant from the Henry L Hillman Foundation, the Wise Neighbor project provides personalized support to assist seniors to continue to live in their homes. During this first year of operation, the team focused on reaching out to seniors and identifying their needs, connecting them to needed services and encouraging their engagement with healthcare activities to prevent illness. 

Some of the supports offered to seniors included:

  • Completing application to Whole Home Repair program
  • Distribution of Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program vouchers
  • Arranging a Dental Clinic for dental exams and cleanings
  • Implemented a fitness program at K. Leroy Irvis senior living facility
  • Provided computer assistance allowing seniors to access virtual healthcare visits
  • Addressing food insecurity with home delivered meal program referrals
  • Vaccination clinics for flu, COVID, pneumonia, and shingles
  • Transportation to Senior Center activities 

FACE and Vintage are committed to honoring the agency of our neighborhood elders and assuring their senior years are healthy and enjoyable. If you are interested in the Wise Neighbor program and would like more information or to get involved, please contact Justin LeWinter, Program Director, at jlewinter@macedoniaface.org.

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