Description

Today's spirited conversation is with panelists Illy Askia, President & CEO of the East Lake Foundation, Dedra Ridges, the Program Director of East Lake Healthy Connections, and Vivian Moore, a longtime community champion and health advocate. These three women talk about the transformative partnership between the East Lake Foundation and the East Lake Family YMCA and others to revitalize Atlanta’s East Lake community. These programs are available even if you are not a YMCA member. You will want to share this information with friends and family.  Don’t miss this episode of (Y) Connect.  

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [04:17] Historical overview of the East Lake community and revitalization that has taken place
• [08:43] The purpose of the Healthy Connections program 
• [12:24] Vivian tells about her engagement with Healthy Connections and the participation of A.O.A., Active Older Adults
• [20:17] Holiday toy drive and excitement for starting the strategic plan for the next five years
• [23:48] The services provided are not just for YMCA members
• [27:24] The panelists reveal their history with the YMCA before becoming employees and community advocates

KEY TAKEAWAYS:  

• In the 80s and 90s, the East Lake Meadows area of Atlanta previously had a crime rate 18 times the national average and was only graduating 30% of children from high school. However, because of community action and interest in the area, the children are at a hundred percent graduation rate, and 100% are accepted into college.  
• Mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education, and community wellness have been goals that have created the success East Lake is enjoying.
• It has taken vision, desire, volunteers, hard work, and community support to achieve these changes, even from local police who volunteer and teach children that the police are their friends. 

RESOURCE LINKS:

Facebook:  YMCA Metro Atlanta

Linkedin: YMCA Metro Atlanta

Twitter: YMCA Metro Atlanta

Website: YMCA Metro Atlanta

Facebook: East Lake Foundation

Facebook: East Lake Healthy Connections Program

BIOGRAPHY:

Illy Askia is President & CEO of the East Lake Foundation, which is the community quarterback organization that works with residents, and public and private partners to provide equitable access to programs and services that transform the community. Illy joined the organization in September 2022. Before joining the East Lake Foundation, she led Gideon’s Promise, a nonprofit that transforms the criminal justice legal system by building a movement of public defenders who provide equal justice for marginalized communities. Illy holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Trinity Washington University. Previously in her career, she was a fellow with Teach for America and taught in D.C. and Fulton County schools.

Dedra Ridges is the Program Director of East Lake Healthy Connections. She works closely with the Healthy Connections team and community partners to ensure all eligible East Lake and surrounding community members have access to health insurance and primary and preventive health care services to properly manage chronic diseases. Dedra started her journey with the YMCA in 2019. Dedra is a native Atlantan. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Alabama A & M University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Southern California. In 2022, Dedra became a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Georgia.

Vivian Moore is a longtime community champion and health advocate with the East Lake Healthy Connections. With a deep and extensive background in community engagement, in the 1990s, Vivian worked for (TAP) The Atlanta Project, a project led by President Jimmy Carter focused on rebuilding Atlanta’s under-resourced communities. Vivian holds numerous leadership roles with a variety of organizations, including the DeKalb County Planning Commission, DeKalb Juvenile Justice, and Georgia’s NAACP, and she’s a founding member of the DeKalb County Women’s Resource Center. Vivian holds a degree from Atlanta Metropolitan College and a certification in Social Work from Tennessee State University. She’s also a mother, a foster mother, and a grandmother.