AARP Is Looking For A Few Good Men

Happy Friday Everybody! Yesterday in between some really long  meetings I ( Jenn)  caught up with our Multicultural Outreach staffer Laurinda Dodgen to find out what she's been up to lately...and why she's looking for a few good men! 

Laurinda  gets to do some really interesting work around Chicago reaching out to churches, building community kitchens, holding line dancing classes, and from time to time -  say the second Tuesday of each month - she gets to  hang out with about 200 really smart  men!

AARP, Odem's Outlook, and the Trinity United Church of Christ on the south side have teamed up to host "Male Health Forums" where guys get together, grab some lunch and have a dialogue about what's going on with them. They get speakers in to talk about touchy subjects like the importance of prostate exams and how to talk to your doctor.

This has actually led to some of the  men going to the doctor afterwards and catching some problems early on.  They discuss current events and what to do about the  increasing incidents of violence in their communities.  They debate about the future of  Social Security and Medicare and  how it should (or should it?!)  be changed.

They've wrapped up for the summer, but this fall they'll be covering topics like sexual health, depression, and more. The topics are chosen by the men through  feedback forms.   Among the many attendees  are - former Police Superintendent Leroy Martin; Interim CEO at Cook County Health and Hospital Systems, Dr. Terry Mason; and Ardythe Sayers, Board Member for the Gale Sayers Center and wife of NFL and Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers.

If you're interested in attending one of the forums or being a speaker at one of them this fall please call 312-458-3621 or email Laurinda and she'll get you on the list. She'll even follow it up with a reminder phone call before the event takes place. We hope to see you there!

These events would not be possible without the planning committee chaired by Dr. Saddler former Deputy Superintendent  for Chicago Public schools, and Doris Odem, E.D.of Odem's Outlook. Thank you!