Community Advocates of Northern Indiana (CANI) was so excited to host their Annual Community Baby Shower on Saturday, August 27, 2022. The event was from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Avalon Manor in Merrillville, IN. There were a host of community partners and guest speakers, games, and networking taking place.
“We were so honored to host a community baby shower in hopes to give soon-to-be parents help,” said Executive Director, Tracy Lewis. “Seeing the parents enjoy themselves, as well as, receive great information was the ultimate goal for this event.”
During the baby shower, Nicole Otis from CANI played baby games called “Don’t Say Baby,” “Diaper the Baby!” and many more with the soon-to-be parents. Dr. Desire’e Simpson from The Caring Corner spoke about “Baby Blues”. While Patricia Smith from Katcher Wellness gave informative tips about “Healthy Bonds, Healthy Babies.” During the lunch break, the Community Partners were able to speak about their involvement in the community and their business. The Community Partners are as followed:
Etha Lasenby, Marram Health Center
Doucette Alvarez, Franciscan Prenatal Assistance
Autumn Slaughter, MDWise
Nazareth Savanero, Managed Health Services (MHS)
Carol Rodriguez, Nurse Family Partnership (NFP)
Hope Robinson, Community Healthcare System
Anthony Manuel, First Financial Bank
Trish Poncher, HealthLinc
Irene Boone-Phillips, Lake County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
Angelique Warner, GoGoVie
“This was amazing! I was not expecting this, I thought I was just coming to get information from different business owners,” said expecting mom Nicole. “They did an actual baby shower and I am blessed that you all are doing this.”
The families were able to enjoy music from DJ Rob la Roc and have long-lasting photo memories with Eddie Escalante of Party Proz Entertainment. Before leaving the event, the guests received donated gifts in the form of books from the Gary Literacy Coalition.
The event was broadcasted live on the Community Advocates of Northern Indiana Facebook page.
CANI offers programs to educate groups of individuals about various aspects of health and wellness. Their events and presentations are designed to improve health and health care outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and underserved populations and communities.
At Community Advocates, the overall health of individuals is at the core of their mission. Every day, CANI is focused on ensuring the reduction and elimination of health disparities among residents in Lake and Porter Counties. The rates of diseases like heart attacks, diabetes, and cancer are disproportionately higher among minority residents. CANI wants all residents to be healthy. They work on achieving that goal through advocacy; education and awareness initiatives; promoting public policy, systems change, and improving access to quality care for everyone.
