Rev. Richard Joyner has been named a 2015 Top 10 CNN Hero. After watching many of his parishioners die from preventable diseases, Rev. Joyner created a community garden and enlisted local children to help him care for it. Today, his nonprofit, the Conetoe Family Life Center, manages more than 20 plots of land, including one 25-acre site. The mission of the Conetoe Family Life Center is to improve the health of the youth and community by increasing access to healthy foods, increasing physical activities and providing access to health services.
More than 80 youth help Rev. Joyner plan, plant and harvest nearly 50,000 pounds of fresh food a year. Much of this produce is given away to local residents. But the students also sell the food — including their own brand of honey — to businesses and restaurants, raising money for school supplies and scholarships. As a result his efforts, emergency room visits are down and the community as a whole is healthier. The youth involved are learning how to prepare food in nutritious ways as well developing healthy social skills and practicing math and science.
Vote for the CNN Top Ten Hero who inspires you the most. See the entire list HERE. Voting continues through November 15, 2015.
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Reverend Richard Joyner. Photo by Natalie Abbassi.
Nicki Sanders, The Packaged For Success Coach, is an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and program manager. She has packaged her Masters of Social Work degree and over 15 years of work experience into Packaged For Success, a training and professional development company. Packaged For Success provides career coaching to college students, entry-level job hunters, and experienced employees seeking a promotion. Packaged For Success also offers communication and productivity improvement training for employees and supervisors and provides consultation on building sustainable, impactful, socially responsible community programs.
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