Austin Community

Foundation
Must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font; cannot attach additional comments.
Name of Organization: Appalachian Carolinians
Street Address/P. O Box: 952 Maplefield Road

City: Boone

State: NC

Zip: 28708

County: Watauga
Name of contact person: Fumnanya Nwosa
Title of contact person: Health Promotion Program Coordinator
Phone number: (336) 981-2654
Name of project: A Bigger Heart

Geographic area and/or target population served: African Americans in the Historic District
of Philip Avenue in Boone, North Carolina

Project Dates: January 5th, 2016 July 5th, 2016

Amount requested: $3,139.00
Signature of Authorized Agency Representative:
Fumnanya Nwosa
Date: March 1st, 2015

1. Organizational capacity to conduct the project (Describe Appalachian Carolinians

mission, goals, programs/services, etc.)
Appalachian Carolinians was founded in 1998 as an off-shoot of Healthy North Carolinian. Our
organization was based on the Healthy People Objectives for the Nation, and is one of the five
pilot coalitions in the state of North Carolina. Our mission has always been to improve
communication, identify, obtain, and distribute resources, as well as effectively utilize
partnerships to improve health and quality of life in Watauga County. Our agency has worked in
partnership with the Health Department, Social Services, Health and Hunger Coalition, and
Project on Aging.
Appalachian Carolinians has conducted many programs and services similar to the project.
Amongst the programs conducted by Appalachian Carolinians are Senior Health and the Annual
Womens Health Expo. Both are evidence of my groups capability to provide fitness classes
alongside health presentations. We have previously received many grants to help the community.
SAFE Kids was awarded a grant in 2001, Body Recall received funding from 1999-2009, and
Project Direct Diabetes was awarded funding from the American Diabetes Association in 2010.
Many programs awarded grant are maintained even today, for instance Teen pregnancy
prevention: March of Dimes.

2. Provide a description of the project including key strategies, timeline for project.
The program, A Bigger Heart, is for African American women ages 20 and above, living in the
Historic District of Philip Avenue at Boone, North Carolina. Heart diseases is very prevalent in
the neighborhood due to a combination of little education, low income, and poor health choices.
The main goals and subsequent result of the program will be to: encourage healthy eating habits
and fitness, educate the community on healthier foods for the heart, advise resource usage, and
create awareness to the causes of heart disease and its prevention.
A Bigger Heart will be serving 20 participants every month and expected to be ongoing for at
least 6 months. The intervention model will be based on the evidence based intervention model
using dietary guidelines for Americans 2010. This will be done by the use of volunteers to share
stories of surviving heart disease, as well as the use of professional volunteers (dietitians,
nutritionists, a physical activity instructors, nurses, and physicians) to help educate the program
participants. The volunteers will focus on: MyPlate, the importance of fruits and vegetables,
fibers, budgeting, shopping techniques, blood pressure readings, risk factors of heart disease,
knowing cholesterol numbers, having a balanced diet, and exercise. Zumba classes will be
incorporated twice a week. The program will be coordinated by the Health Promotion Program
Coordinator, and will be evaluated monthly based on the goals and objectives made by the
Health Promotion Program Coordinator. The method of evaluation will be pre and post
questionnaires to the participants.

3. Describe the need that the program will address Needs Statement
The community of the Historical District of Philip Avenue is not very large, but it is greatly
affected nutritionally. The total population of the city is 206,300, but the urban Historical District
only comprises of about 300 people. African Americans make up 96% of the Historical District
population, but most have had a poor education and never moved on to college. The
unemployment rate is 15%, and while the population is composed of mostly men, the most
influential positions are held by women.
Heart disease kills more women than cancer, yet it often goes undetected and undiagnosed. Early
detection of this disease is very important in preventing heart disease and death in women.
Certainly, the overall prevalence of heart disease in the United States is in the decline. From the
year 2006 to 2010 the prevalence has decreased from 6.7% to 6.0 %, but the percentage of
women in particular is still staggering, especially African American women. According to the
Center for Disease Control, 2012, heart disease has become the leading cause of death in women,
and this varies among racial/ethnic groups and ages. 6% percent of all white women die of heart
disease. 5% of heart disease related deaths are of Hispanic American women, but for African
American women 7% of deaths are related to heart disease. In the Historical District of Philip
Avenue, the percentage is even higher at 10%. The prevalence in the neighborhood is due to a
combination of little education, low income, and poor health choices. The program will provide
the knowledge and opportunity for many of these women to make healthy choices, which will in
turn influence the community.

4.

List the overall goal (s) of the program.

Improve the overall health of African American women in the Historical District of Philip
Avenue.

5.

List the objectives. These should be measurable.

1. By January 5th, 2016 begin Zumba classes with the goal of serving at least 20
participants within a month, two times per week, for 30 minutes to 2 hour sessions.
2. By March 15th, 2016 at least 60 % of the participants will be able to read and monitor
blood pressure twice per day
3. By July 5th, 2016, at least 70% of the participants have increased their intake of fruits
and vegetable to 3 5 serving per day.

6. List the strategies you will utilize to reach the program objectives- Methods
1. Form a planning committee for the project
2. Pre-survey of interests and needs of the community regarding heart disease
3. Recruit volunteers and professional instructors dietitians/nutritionist and Zumba
instructors
4. Develop work plan and timeline
5. Approach the local church using a part of their building for the program
6. Decorate the facility
7. Promote program through flyers and social media
8. Purchase equipment and educational materials blood pressure machines, measuring
scale, nutrition handouts, and writing materials
9. Print t-shirts
10. Grand opening with free cholesterol, blood pressure screening, and Zumba class.
11. Pre survey from the participants including feedback regarding A Bigger Heart.
12. Compile summary of feedback
7. State how, when, and by whom an evaluation will be conducted including any reports
that will be compiled and how the evaluation will be used for program improvements.
The Appalachian Carolinians and the District Health Department will evaluate the A Bigger
Heart program to determine if the program met its objectives, and if the health of the participants
has improved. The evaluation data will include:
Pre- and post- health survey (including knowledge on fruits/vegetables, their current
consumption of fruits/vegetables, their opinions on healthy eating and exercise, etc.)
Pre- and post- health screenings (including the patients current blood pressure and
cholesterol levels)
Participants taking 5 blood pressures and each participant educating at least one other
individual on healthy food choices.
Participant satisfaction survey
A summative evaluation will be compiled to determine the effectiveness of A Bigger Heart. The
evaluation will take into account the pre/post health levels of the district. The results will be sent
to the District Health Department and shared with members of the Historic District of Philip
Avenue.
8. Describe how your program will be continued after the funding period. Specify source
of funding and commitment of your agency Sustainability Strategies
The goal of A Bigger Heart is to enrich the diet and fitness level of the participants. The program
is designed to work with the community, and will be sustained by the community. Along with
donations, participants and volunteers will assist with tri-annual fundraisers, as well as finding
local businesses to act as sponsors. The Health Promotion Program Coordinator will be
responsible for the maintenance of the program, and oversee implementation of continued
efforts. The program will rely on a select group of individuals selected from the volunteers and
employees to operate based on guidelines provided the Health Promotion Program Coordinator.
A Bigger Heart will retain some autonomy due to the large role volunteers and employees play.

Budget Sheet
Program name: A Bigger Heart
Number of participants expected: 20/Session/month/6 (120 participants)
Project/program budget year (s): January 5th, 2016 to July 5th, 2016
Total amount of request:
Item
In-kind salaries
Maintenance Crew
(Janitors)
Volunteers
(Gifts/Entertainment)
Childcare
In-kind materials
CD player
Church building
TV/DVD Player
Weight measuring Scale
Heart disease model kit
Food models
Total in-kind contribution
Funding request
Zumba instructor
Nutrition Handout
Activity Handout
Healthy eating video
Pre and post survey paper
Water bottles
MyPlate Videos (4)
Blood pressure Machine (4)
Print t-shirt
Notepads
Total request

$3,139.00
Item cost/amount needed

Total amount

3 hours/week@ $9.50/hour for 26

weeks
$50.00/ wk for 26 weeks

$741.00

$10/hr 3hr/wk for 26 weeks

$780.00

Provided by church

$20.00
$500.00
$40.00
$50.00
$50.00
$50.00
$1,490.00

Provided by church
Provided by Health Department
Provided by Health Department
Provided by health department

$20.00/hr, 2hrs/wk x 26 weeks

$0.05/page; 21 pages x 20 copies x 6
$0.05/page;16 pages x20 copies x 6
$0.05/page; 2 pages x 20 copies x 6
$0.75 each x 20 x 6
$100.00 each x 4
$40.00 each x 4 (Omron 3 series
wrist BP)
$9.00 each x 20 x 6
$0.50 each x 20 x 6

$1,300

$1,040.00
$126.00
$96.00
$75.00
$12.00
$90.00
$400.00
$160.00
$1,080.00
$60.00
$3,139.00