Candace Lindsey, VP of Jacksonville Black Chamber of Commerce

A vital component to the success of Action for Healthy Kids’ family-school partnerships model is the Family Connector program. Through the collective efforts of Family Connectors, resources can reach children in areas with the greatest need.   

Meet Candace Lindsey, a Jacksonville, Florida Family Connector, who has created an outreach and support plan in schools with military families who have not been traditionally engaged in health in school.  

What drew you to the world of nonprofit? 

Volunteering was never a “concept” for me, but a way of life. As a child I spent a great deal of time with my grand- and great-grandparents. My paternal grandmother was the matriarch of the neighborhood. She gave advice to marriages in trouble, single mothers struggling with children, careers, and finances. It was the norm for neighborhood kids to be at our home while parents worked extra to meet a financial goal etc. It was a common practice to share whatever you had in scarcity or excess. Typically, scarcity didn’t last long because my grandmother knew how to make something from nothing, then share how and what she had. 

What have you learned while working with Action for Healthy Kids? 

My work with AFHK reinforced that Black and Brown communities need attentive active listeners to involve them in helping with their lives. I grew up in the Milwaukee metro area and now I’m in Jacksonville, FL. An obvious similarity I noticed in these communities, in both Milwaukee and Jacksonville, is networking is huge in both communities. Like I saw growing up with my grandmother…we lean on one another, but make do with what we have. When others listen, and truly listen to what we need, we’ll have access to even better resources for everyone. 

Do you have a guiding philosophy in life? 

I started a holistic health and wellness nonprofit as I reflected on my pregnancy and other medical experiences, particularly nutrition and physical activity family traditions relating to social-emotional wellness. Often, these traditions were lacking. As a holistic wellness practitioner, I use the African Natural Lifestyle practices with mindfulness and emotional intelligence to assist clients with recognizing and removing barriers to achieving optimal wellness. To aid one in achieving optimal health, we must connect true identity and purpose.