“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
A Vision of Change Inc. is a 501 C 3 not for profit organization founded in 1993 by Ms. Delores Collins. For 23 years, AVOC has provided academic empowerment, intervention, and prevention services. Our vision is to assist in breaking the cycles of Illiteracy, poor health, teen dropout, youth imprisonment, and poverty.
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Our Roots
It was a personal experience that she and her four children endured that took her future in a whole new direction. She watched her children deal with fear, confusion, anxiety, and depression due to their father’s going to prison in 1992. The research and the staggering statistics on youth with incarcerated parents are what drove her passion to do something for her children and other children suffering from this situation. =
She decided that her children were not going to become a part of the generational curse, but instead, began to change the outcome of children’s future. Thus was born the mission: “Embrace them where they are, Empower them to move forward, Motivate them to succeed.”
PROJECT SUMMARY
Over the past year, AVOC has had the opportunity to partner with the Center for Community Health Integration (CCHI) at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine on a pilot research study. In the study, AVOC and CCHI are researching whether using Community Health Workers in community-based settings increases participation in clinical trials among Black people.
Our collaborative goal is not only to learn how CHWs and Black community members feel about research and research participation, but also to identify strategies and tools to improve the effectiveness of preventing and treating illness.
Based on this information, we will make the recommendations public in an article for researchers.
ACTIVITIES
A Vision of Change is in the business of changing and shaping lives. The work we do at our Non-Profit Organization is aimed at providing a holistic approach to improving the health and well-being of community residents by raising personal health awareness through information, education, and support for those who need it. We empower our partners by creating opportunities for individuals and communities.