September-October 2022 

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) named Chet P. Hewitt as the newest chair of the PPIC Board of Directors. Since 2016, Chet served on the PPIC Statewide Leadership Council.

You can read the details and full press announcement on the PPIC website.

The Center is accepting proposals for an experienced team to evaluate the Elevate Youth California – Youth Substance Use Disorder Prevention Program. Proposals are due by Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. For those interested in applying for this funding opportunity, please visit the Elevate Youth California website.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Movement 4 Life logo contest! This logo design opportunity is intended for youth and adults living in the Sacramento region.

Movement 4 Life is a gun violence reduction program that saves lives and empowers youth. It hopes the new logo will embody unity, peace and love in Black and Brown communities, with freedom from mass incarceration, poverty, systemic racism and self-hatred.

Submissions are due to The Center by Oct. 31. The winning entry will be selected by a panel of community members in early November.

To participate and submit your logo design, check out the guidelines on the Movement 4 Life webpage.

On Oct. 26, the Community Responsive Wellness Program for the Black Communities of Sacramento will host a discussion titled “Addressing Mental Health Stigmas Among Black Men.” Panelists will hold a candid discussion about how stigmatizing mental health issues harms Black men and boys. The conversation will explore how education institutions and employers further this stigma and how the cycle can be broken. The talk is meant to identify ways to move toward collective wellness. Register online.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Dr. Kwame Dance, Coon the Poet, Dre-T (Andre Tillman) and Dr. Ijeoma Ononuju.

The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples is excited to launch the Indigenous Healing and Leadership Fellowship, which hopes to attract individuals who are grounded culturally, in service of community wellness spaces and rooted in traditional health where healing is the focus. The one-year fellowship will provide financial resources for deeper contemplation of cultural identity, and support to engage, enhance and explore skills and empower leadership.

To apply for this fellowship, visit the Indigenous Healing and Leadership Fellowship website.

During the month of September, we acknowledged National Suicide Prevention Month to help inform and engage health professionals and the general public about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States. There is one death by suicide every 11 minutes and approximately 132 Americans die by suicide every day. An estimated 1.2 million American adults have attempted suicide at least once in their lifetime while 1 in 4 individuals have thoughts of suicide during the span of their lifetime. Check out 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline resources to help those who have shown signs of suicide. If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone, please dial 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Since January 2019, more than 2,200 youth PopUp events throughout the City of Sacramento have engaged more than 100,000 youth in fun, healthy and safe activities. The Center recently shared a report of activities for PopUp events held January to June 2022. Read the full report that details the numerous successes and challenges of the PopUps on The Center website.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, smoke from wildfires contains chemicals, gases and fine particles that can harm health. The greatest hazard comes from breathing fine particles in the air, which can reduce lung function, worsen asthma and other existing heart and lung conditions, and cause coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing. Learn more on the department’s Protecting Outdoor Workers Exposed to Smoke from Wildfires page.

In September, we welcomed Reyna Villalobos. Reyna brings more than 25 years of public health experience to her new role as Managing Director in our Fresno office. She has deep and broad skills and knowledge, particularly in the social determinants of health, health equity, systems thinking, program development, program implementation, grants development and management, data analysis and evaluation, coalition building, leadership and policy development.

We also recently welcomed the following five staff members:

Sierra Caraveo — Program Associate
Yemariam Eyob — Intern
Territa Givens — Recruiter
Sadie Luke — Program Assistant

Visit our Employment Opportunities page to learn about open positions and apply online.