APRIL 13TH 2015
PLANNING MEETING
Name of Org: Bay Area Healthy Living Support and Communication Platform-BayHeal
Vision: Empowering individuals to demand, access, utilize healthy living options, make informed decisions and engage in self-development activities for durable holistic & quality health outcomes.
MISSION: We are contributing to eliminating health disparities among sub-population groups by reaching out to the African immigrants in the Bay Area.
Target: Any beneficiaries or Africans and recent immigrants from Africa living in Bay Area.
VOLUNTEERS/MEMBERS:
1. Thomas Rogers Muyunga Mukasa
1230 Market Street #150
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: 415-410-8340
2. Austin Padilla
Telephone: 415-940-9662
1230 Market Street #150
San Francisco, CA 94102
3. John Stovall
Telephone: 510-904-7271
1230 Market Street #150
San Francisco, CA 94102
4. Stephanie Urtusun
Telephone: 510-586-4914
1230 Market Street #150
San Francisco, CA 94102
Agenda
1. Opening Remarks
2. Introductions
3. The Bay Area Healthy Living Support and Communication Platform-BayHeal
4. What can be achieved in 1 year; 2 years; and 5 years
5. Managerial and Stewardship Positions
6. Conclusion
Minute 1/Opening Remark/4/13/2015
Thomas introduced the organization to the rest of the team.
The organization has the following vision: Empowering individuals to demand, access, utilize healthy living options, make informed decisions and engage in self-development activities for durable holistic & quality health outcomes.
It is a not-for-profit organization registered in California, USA.
The catchment area: Bay Area of the West Coast (Northern California).
The organization will work with any stakeholder though it is an initiative started specifically to address healthy living and holistic development issues among persons from Africa.
ACTION POINTS: Design brochures, website and social media outlets.
WHO: Austin, Stephanie and Thomas to take lead.
Minute 2/Introductions/4/13/2015
The organization was initiated in 2012 but was formally registered in 2014. The idea of registering formally followed accompanying two persons from Tunisia who had asked the founder where to get dental care. The three made plans to visit a dental clinic and what transpired led to the beginning of the organization. Two other experiences also made the founder remain focused on registering it formally. During the Ebola outbreak of 2014. Africans in Oakland, Hayward, San Jose and San Francisco shared with founder experiences of denigrating remarks made by people towards them just because they ‘were from Africa.’ The third reason was when the founder lost his job when a client made it known he was scared of Africans and that they are bringing Ebola to USA.
ACTION POINTS: To mobilize resources for office space.
WHO: Thomas and Austin.
Minute 3/Bay Area Healthy Living Support and Communication Platform-BayHeal/ 4/13/2015
The organization is a platform to mobilize marginalized communities to access health care services (not only Africans, it benefits anyone). The Bay Area consists of nine counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. It is a platform that will, as well, make referral in situations requiring other interventions in these 9 counties under the “Know Your County-Know Your Service-Needs [KYCKYS]” Drive.
The organization will reach out to about 20,000 adults above 21 years as well as 60,000 below 21 years (this is an anecdotal estimation). Priority Africa Network puts the population of persons from Africa living in the Bay Area at 2% of the Bay Area Population. Recent Statistics on Bay Area Population is: 7,002,425 (Census 2000 SF1, SF3, DP1-DP4, Census 2010 DP-1, American Community Survey 2006-2010). 2% of this population is about: 140,048.5 people.
The organization has been registered as a not-for-profit. It originally was operated out of a home at 636 Peralta Avenue, San Francisco CA and the first benefactor was Mr. Selwyn Jones who has since passed away. The organization reached milestones in the first 9 months of its existence: 3 members were escorted to the Human Services Agency where they registered for Social Security benefits and 2 were escorted to the San Francisco General Hospital for medical services. Mr. Selwyn Jones contributed $ 1,150 towards the money that was used as transport (on average $100 per month for a transport card+ travel beyond BART areas) and pocket money used for the exploratory and mapping exercise to gauge numbers of Africans in the Bay Area. A report on this has been produced.
Mr. Selwyn, as well, left furniture which he instructed should be used as office furniture if and when the organization gets funded. I wish to fulfill this with your help. The immediate issue is to get the furniture out of the house he used to stay in by April 25th 2015.
Those who have so far accepted to be part of the advisory board: Mr. Sam Mwangi, Mr. Sciarillo Joseph (still undecided), Mr. John Stovall, Ms. Stephanie Urtusan and Mr. Austin Padilla. There are other members who will join and updates will be provided.
ACTION POINTS: -Website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram.
- Map out social services in Northern California and develop and referral data base.
- Develop a calendar to reach out to beneficiaries using their established community gathering mechanisms & voluntarily elected leaders. E.g., Egyptian and Tunisian community meet at Al-Mansul (Geary St.); Moroccan (Marrakech Moroccan Restaurant (O’Farrell St.); Congolese (SF/Oakland/Bay Area African Dance Fiesta for Mozambicans/Angolans (24th & Mission); Chimurenga for Zimbabweans (SF Public Library, San Francisco & Priority Africa Network, Berkeley at 6501 Telegraph Avenue Oakland); Kimeeza for Ugandans (St. Mary’s Seminary, Oakland), West Africans (Little Baobab 3380 19th Street/Bissap and Little Baobab Restaurant 3372 19th Street); Uhuru for Kenyans ( various venues), Ethiopians and Eritreans also have various meeting points ( from restaurants, soccer games to festivities).
WHO: Stephanie, Thomas, Austin and Sam.
Minute 4/What can be achieved in 1 year; 2 years; and 5 years/4/13th/ 2015
The organization is still in its infancy and is without a bank account. A fiscal agent will have to be identified.
Austin shared his readiness to take up the role of directing and guiding communication and the HIV-Hepatitis strategies of the organization. He also clarified on the need to start off the resource mobilization drive for the organization. Funders who are willing to help with start-ups should be identified. Proposals should then be sent out. The key actions are: office space rent; moving furniture; brochure development and dissemination; sharing information with beneficiaries; continued/sustained advocacy work; field activities.
Thomas shared information about procedures for opening up a bank account and what had been achieved so far. The organization bank account will be at Wells Fargo Bank. A Tax Identification Number (TIN) for the organization is required. Two signatories to the account are required and a policy for withdrawal of money should be in place. The TIN will be in the mail between 15 to 20 days after registering with the California Secretary of State. Registration was done on April 13th 2015. As soon as the TIN is available, account opening will follow immediately.
ACTION POINTS: -Thomas will take leading role as far as registering, finding fiscal agent and visibilizing BayHeal. Will also make these minutes available
-Austin will take the lead role of formulating the fund mobilization template.
- Thomas and Austin will make strategic plans.
-Thomas will present this report at another meeting (the Community Advisory Board on Thursday April/16th/2015) of well-wishers from whom other advisors will be identified.
WHO: Thomas and Austin.
Minute 5/ Managerial and Stewardship Positions/ April/14th/2015
An interim steering team of volunteers is in place until all formal structures and mechanisms for a more formal running of the organization are established.
Minute 6/ Conclusion/ April/14th/2015
The meeting was adjourned up to April/27th 2015.
Departure
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