When Mocha Moms, Inc. first came up with the idea of the Closing the Gap initiative, our focus was on minority achievement in education. The minority educational achievement gap is a national problem that continues to plague almost every school district in the nation. Our hope was that Mocha Moms, Inc. chapters would participate in a wide variety of community service activities which would help close the educational achievement gap in their respective communities.
However, as we considered the scope of our initiative, it became apparent to us that “closing the gap” could be much broader and could impact on more than just education. We realized that Mocha Moms, Inc. could close the gap in a variety of different areas and have a major impact on the ultimate success of our children and families. The other “gaps” that immediately came to mind were health disparities, the digital/technology divide, the financial gap and the political gap (as indicated by lower voter registration/turnout among people of color).
Thus, our Closing the Gap initiative has become a much more significant and far reaching initiative. Further, the initiative hits close to home for all of us for with it we can have an impact within our own homes, in our communities and throughout the nation. In 2008, we were please to launch our new initiative, Closing the Gap in Minority Health, Prosperity and Achievement.
To date, we have partnered with the following organizations under our Closing the Gap Initiative:
Boys Booked on Barbershops (B-BOB) – Boys Booked on Barbershops is a national, cutting edge literacy program designed to make the most of naturally occurring opportunities for young children to read in familiar neighborhood sites such as barbershops. The overall goal of B-BOB is to facilitate the ongoing practice of reading as boys make their regular visits to barbershops.
National Marrow Donor Program (National Cord Blood Donor Program) – A new initiative to spread the word about public cord blood donation so that all patients who are in need of a cord blood transplant will have a greater chance of receiving one.
Black Women’s Health Imperative – Founded in 1983, this organization’s mission is to empower African American women so that we can become educated health care consumers and be strong voices for the improvement of our health status. Among other things, The Black Women’s Health Imperative sponsors the Sister Circle Training Academy and the Health-Wise Woman Program. Their website, www.nbwhp.org, offers a wealth of information that African American women need to maintain the health and well-being of themselves and their families.
Additionally the following organizations have partnered with us in allowing our members special access to their information and resources:
If you have any questions about these partnerships or are interested in partnering with Mocha Moms, Inc., please contact us at communityservice@mochamoms.org.
