Community Partnerships
The Center for Excellence in Aging & Community Wellness (CEACW) stands at the nexus between universities and communities, determined both to create new knowledge and to be a key partner in translating existing knowledge into practice. CEACW’s success in these endeavors is enhanced by maintaining relevance in its activities, finding low-cost successful strategies to address key concerns, and expanding its connectedness to various constituencies.
The Healthy Hearts on the Hill Coalition Project
Connecting with the West Hill, Arbor Hill, and South End Neighborhoods of the City of Albany
The Healthy Hearts on the Hill Coalition was co-founded in 2007 by the Center for Excellence in Aging & Community Wellness and Koinonia Primary Care, a non-profit faith based healthcare provider that serves the West Hill community.
Membership of the Coalition includes representation from community residents and an array of faith based groups, local public health organizations, area senior housing units, food pantries, local service providers, public program insurers, and businesses. Participation in events by county and city legislators, the police department, and the state legislature help the coalition to influence policy and systems change.
The Coalition initially formed around the need to increase access to services, to improve health practices and more importantly to build capacity by utilizing identified strengths within the community. The Coalition conducted a highly successful public health initiative called the Biggest Winner and is now working with key community partners in the local area to increase access to safe exercise safe for community residents.
The Coalition rests its work on three pillars of health:
- Physical Activity
- Proper Nutrition
- Access to Healthcare that provides opportunities for good self-management practices by community residents.
ExcelleShare
Sharing Excellence in Volunteer Services with our Community Partners
As one of the Wave One Models of Significant Services projects funded by the National Council on Aging, ExcelleShare’s Vision has been to make the Center for Excellence in Aging & Community Wellness the home for a one stop volunteer and resource center for community impact/skill based volunteer opportunities. This CEACW program connects non-profit and government agencies in New York’s Capital Region with qualified volunteers, who provide consultative services on a wide range of “business” concerns including such key functions as marketing, business plan development, personnel training, civic engagement project development, and volunteer management models and techniques. Since its inception in 2007, ExcelleShare has become a popular program in the community and has helped increase the capacity of numerous non-profits and advocacy groups in the Capital Region to better accomplish their mission.
For readers seeking to find out more about volunteering in this dynamic program, you are invited to read about ExcelleShare opportunities on our RSVP site. Come join our impressive team of highly qualified community impact volunteers! Through your participation on a volunteer team, you will help to make a significant contribution to the non-profits and constituents they serve.
For interested community partners, please contact David Esmond at (518) 442-5585 to discuss community impact volunteering and how our ExcelleShare volunteers might be able to assist you.
