The Healthy Kids, Healthy Families initiative allows you to invest in and partner with nonprofit organizations that offer sustainable, measurable programs to reach children and their families. Programs focused on reducing childhood obesity, providing Male Mentors, and increase health and nutrition, particularly in South Shore, and throughout the south side of Chicago, the southsuburbs and Gary, IN
. National health promotion is focused on social and business equity and community building on a B2B platform with the MOBE Symposium www.MOBESymposium.com. Nationally, our signature brand and event is the annual Father's Day event, Real Men Cook(R), a brand representing Black men serving , generous and engaged as fathers and father-figures. continued a relaiton with Community Mental Health Council that for 20 years to present Real Men, Building Healthy Kids and Strengthening Families. The expanded 2008 program focused on children in nine schools in Englewood Chicago and engaged all 3rd, 4th and 5th graders in the following areas: Nutrition education, Physical activity, Disease prevention and education and Responsible fatherhood
Real Men and trained professionals provided assistance with trauma due to violence and helped in supporting safe environments for children and your 6-24 years of age from 2020-present. In 3 years our CPS programs we changed attitudes and behavior, thanks to the Real Men Building Curriculum and the men who deliver it in the schools. The Eat to Live Garden in Englewood was the destination of our Walking Field Trip at the end of the 2012 school year where the children were given this mantra: "Everything Good Grows in Englewood!"
2014-2016 the programming expanded into the community and our key role in bringing the Healthy Food Hub Market to South Shore Chicago, which in 2016 gained USDA designation as a local food hub. In 2017 our new Male Mentor program included 9 mentees and 7 mentors, committed to a multi-year commitment to restorative justice, culinary and hospitality focus. Ayinde Cartman became Exeuctive Director in February 2017. Yvette Moyo is Chariman & CEO.
2014 -2020 Real Community Investment Group purchased the Quarry Event Center in 2018 and added African drumming to relieve stress and incorporate the arts, and sponsored Jazz at the Quarry, which pivoted from entertainment center into a food stability center to fight COVID, partnering with the Chicago Food Depository and South Shore Works our volunteers distributed over 1 million pounds of groceries, and provided 87,000 PPE packages, thanks to partners and the Chicago Racial Equity and Rapid Response team, on which our Chairman serves representing the South Shore community.
