Positively Caviar Awarded $10,000 Grant to Combat Mental Health

Baltimore, MD - Positively Caviar, Inc. (PCI) was named a winner of the Baltimore Elevation Awards and received a $10,000 grant from the Baltimore Corps. This award allows personalized support to people of color who are Baltimore City residents piloting novel approaches to strengthen Baltimore communities.

The grant will allow Positively Caviar to continue the work of combating the mental health crisis by providing youth with an informative and interactive space to discuss mental wellness strategies to counter stress and adversity. PCI does not intend to replace formal mental health programs; instead, we complement them. Rather than mental health being a dark place to discuss negative emotions, the workshops are focused on shining a light on mental wellness. At the conclusion of the 11-month grant period, awardees will have the opportunity to showcase their projects to prospective funders.

Baltimore Corp’s mission is to enlist talent to accelerate social innovation in Baltimore and advance a citywide agenda for equity and racial justice and The Elevation Awards aim to directly leverage the assets of communities to pioneer new solutions in social entrepreneurship. As a result, leaders of the community will be more apt to provide solutions and support the early-stage pipeline of social entrepreneurs in Baltimore.

“Uplifting youth through actionable steps to increase mental wellness has always been the driving force to our organization and is needed now more than ever,” said Shayma Sulaiman, Chief Program Officer of PCI. “ We are honored to receive the Baltimore Elevation Award and we are so grateful to Baltimore Corps for truly believing in our vision.”

Positively Caviar, Inc. (PCI) focuses on using positive thinking and optimism as a vehicle to instill mental resilience and disrupt mental health stigmas in underserved communities. PCI provides science-based mental wellness workshops rooted in positive psychology to provide preventative strategies to curb stress and increase overall wellbeing.

For more information please visit: positivelycaviar.com

Positively Caviar Fights Mental Health at the HBCU5K

On Saturday, June 30th Positively Caviar participated in the 6th Annual HBCU 5K Run/2K Walk at Howard University. More than 12 volunteers joined The Positively Caviar Team to run with a purpose and engage with the community sharing information about the organization.

The Washington, DC Metro HBCU Alumni Alliance, Inc.’s (DCHBCUAA) community hosts the HBCU Alumni Community Day Presented by XFINITY with a mission is to improve the health and well-being of our communities. Their overall efforts are aimed at reducing health disparities that are pervasive in predominantly African American communities. With an effort to addressing the social determinants of health, their program focuses on priority areas are Health & Wellness, Hunger Awareness, and Higher Education. By leveraging the full value of the Alumni Alliance, they educate the community, provide financial resources, offer volunteers, and work strategically with our community partners to make a measurable impact to address the following issues: health, hunger, and education.

Volunteer and Positively Caviar supporter, Melissa Pearson, expressed her excitement about participating in the HBCU 5K Run. “It was such an amazing experience to work with an organization that embodies what they are passionate about. Positively Caviar attracted a large crowd during the 5K race, simply because the leaders of their organization naturally spread authentic positivity. When you are struggling with mental health disorders, trying to adjust your mindset to focus on the positive things in your life is necessary. The leaders of Positively Caviar ran for a cause. They ran to instill that positivity back into our culture.”

Running to help fight mental illness aligns with the core values of Positively Caviar. The organization will continue participating in the HBCU5K annually, on a much larger scale next year.

For more information or to find out how to partner with Positively Caviar on future programs, please click here or contact us at info@staybasedandpositive.com 

Positively Caviar Joins The Garden of Prayer Christian Church for Youth Day 2K18

On June 15, 2018, Positively Caviar participated in a Youth Day seminar at The Garden of Prayer Christian Church in Baltimore, MD. Children and young adults ages 6 - 20 had the opportunity to engage in a thought-provoking conversation based on the subject of fear.

Youth Day is an event that takes place in various Christian churches and denominations. This annual event is used to focus on the youth in the church and give them a platform to learn more and encourage them to live their best life. The order of events for Youth Day at the Garden of Prayer Christian Church included icebreakers, our high-intensity speaking engagement, and a round robin of questions from the audience.

The theme of Youth Day 2K18 was “I Have No Reason to Fear” giving the Positively Caviar Team the opportunity to speak to youth and families in Baltimore City about the science of positivity & optimism, overcoming fears, and gaining resilience. Shayma Sulaiman, Chief Program Officer, and Chazz Scott, Chief Creative Optimist, exposed the youth and their families to strategies and tips to reach their fullest potential in life such as: instilling habits to wake up early, how to use “the power of yet”, how to overcome fear, a healthy diet, and the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships. 

Positively Caviar was extremely excited to be a part of this motivational and encouraging event. “It was really humbling to bring people from all ages and all walks of life together to discuss the topic of fear”, said Shayma.” “Although every individual has his or her own separate path we were able to discuss the reasons we fear, the science of fear, and ultimately how to overcome it.” For more information or to find out how to partner with Positively Caviar on future programs, please click here or contact us at info@staybasedandpositive.com.