Charm City Dreamers

Kerry Graves serves as the Executive Director of NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore. In her role, she provides leadership for NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore's mission of improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI Metro Baltimore is one of the largest and most active local affiliates of NAMI, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization.

Tevis Simon is a Baltimore Maryland native and loving mother of one adult daughter and grandson. She received her call to mental health advocacy in 2015 as she battled with the acceptance of her mental health diagnosis. Deciding to become educated rather than afraid of her mental illness, she became a public speaker, mental health mentor, peer recovery specialist and support group facilitator. Tevis is dedicated to her ministry, Walk By Faith Consulting, which supports mental wellness, assisting with recovery in mental health and substance abuse, and overcoming barriers to employment in addition to providing mental health presentations to families and organizations.

Torrey Smith, former NFL Raven wide receiver and 2x Superbowl Champion, is the founder Level 82. In this episode we explore the importance of mental health and how Level82 is helping leverage the power of community collaboration to enable all Baltimore families to reach their full potential .

Dr. Letitia Dzirasa joined Baltimore City government as the Commissioner of Health in March 2019. Dr. Dzirasa, a Hopkins trained pediatrician, believes that equitable care is basic right for all and will tirelessly advocate for programs that support the overall health and wellbeing of all Baltimore city residents. Dr. Dzirasa's special interests include obesity management and prevention, trauma informed care in children and adolescents, and expanded use of technology to improve health outcomes.

Project HEAL (Health through Early Awareness and Learning) is a University of Maryland Public Health Initiative to focused on cancer related disparities across different communities. They practice evidence-based intervention that uses a Community Health Advisor approach to increase cancer awareness early detection. Maisha is a graduate research assistant for the lab and Shay Sharpe is a community partner, founder of Shay Sharpe's Pink Wishes and 2x breast cancer survivor.

Regina Reed, MPH is an advocate and organizer for health care justice. Regina is the Policy Manager at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council where she lobbies for national policy change to increase access to health care for vulnerable people. She is also a Board Member with the Baltimore Abortion Fund (BAF). BAF provides financial assistance to people who live in or travel to Maryland for abortion care and uses an intersectional reproductive justice lens to dismantle white supremacy and remove systemic barriers to accessing care.

Enjoy our latest episode with Marissa Jachman, the Executive Director of the Erin Levitas Foundation. Erin Levitas (Marissa's cousin) died from cancer at age 22. A senior in college, Levitas was about to head to law school when she learned of her terminal diagnosis. The family created the Erin Levitas Foundation to honor her memory and to make sure the work she wanted to see in the world could happen: working with teens and young adults to prevent sexual assault.

Ana Rodney is the founder of MOMCares. MOMCares is a postpartum doula program designed to support mothers of color in the NICU who identify themselves as under supported and facing financial stressors. MOMCares provides packaged meals, transportation, bedside support, self care opportunities and child care for older siblings to mothers in need.

Eric Jackson is an organizer, educator, and filmmaker, humbly serving as the visionary and a co-founder of Black Yield Institute, committed to building a movement toward Black Land and Food Sovereignty in Baltimore. Currently, he and his team are committed to a 1.25 acre urban agriculture operation and building a cooperatively-owned grocery store in South Baltimore, while also conducting Black-led research, facilitating political education, and organizing an action network.

Wendy Jeffries is the founding Executive Director of TasteWise Kids. TasteWise Kids empowers kids to think about food in new ways, to explore their own sense of taste, and to build healthy eating habits. Learning directly from farmers, chefs and other food professionals kids learn food comes from and how to prepare their own healthy food options.

Nichole Mooney is the Executive Director and Founder of Black Girls Cook (BGC). BGC is a non-profit organization with a mission to teach adolescent girls of color self-actualization techniques and life-skills through the use of culinary arts and edible gardening.

Hands-on cooking classes are not taught in schools and businesses that teach cooking classes for kids are very expensive. Therefore, girls living in households with limited incomes and don't have access to healthy food options tend to eat convenience foods which over time impacts their health in a negative way. Food equity and access to cooking classes is a serious issue in inner-city communities and Black Girls Cook aims to alleviate the problem one girl at a time.