Bridging Economic & Wellness Coalition
Bridging Economic & Wellness Coalition For All
Data-Informed, Community-Led, Economic Equity-Focused System of Care
Framework
The principles that
guide our work.
Mission
Bridging people, partnerships, and resources to advance economic strength and amplify wellness for marginalized communities through collective action.
"We envision a community that values diversity and maintains high standards in a safe and nurturing environment that builds independence and economic self-sufficiency, while educating our community in the knowledge of self and promoting a healthy quality of life for all throughout the life cycle."
The BEWCA Vision
Purpose
To convene and advocate for economic empowerment and wellness for every community by leading in collaboration to address the social determinants of health.
BEWCA's System of Care
A coordinated, community-led framework that integrates housing, health, youth development, workforce opportunity, economic justice, and governance into a single, connected ecosystem — aligning funding, accountability, and outcomes so decisions, dollars, and solutions move together transparently, never in silos.
Value System · The Nguzo Saba
Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work & Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith — the seven principles that undergird all coalition work.
Strategy · System of Care
A Data-Informed,
Community-Led
System of Care.
BEWCA does not start with programs. We start with disparities turning information into intervention, and investment into transformation. Using data-informed and data-driven analysis, we identify ancestral, economic, and health inequities across housing, health & wellness, youth empowerment, and workforce development.
BEWCA's Role as a Backbone Organization
- Generate Insights through data, research, and community knowledge.
- Elevate Community Priorities through resident voice and lived experience.
- Coordinate Collective Action across partners, providers, and stakeholders.
- Mobilize Strategic Resources to advance equitable and sustainable community outcomes.
The Bridges
Five Bridges to
Collective Wellness.
BEWCA's System of Care is constructed on five key Bridges, each connecting individuals, families, and neighborhoods to resources, opportunity, healing, and long-term stability. Each is a point of passage across barriers created by history, inequity, and disinvestment.
Bridge 01
A Bridge to Stability
Housing, Neighborhood & Community Development
Redresses historic inequities caused by redlining, urban renewal, and the inequitable allocation of public and private resources. BEWCA supports Black-led efforts that expand affordable and recovery housing, rehabilitate homes, improve energy efficiency, and revitalize neighborhoods.
Bridge 02
A Bridge to Healing
Health & Wellness
Addresses the social determinants of health and the disproportionate impacts of addiction, chronic disease, pandemics, and maternal and infant mortality in Black communities through culturally grounded, trauma-informed prevention, treatment, and recovery.
Bridge 03
A Bridge to Legacy
Youth Empowerment
Centers young people as carriers of generational strength and future leadership. Addresses youth violence, suicide, substance use, and juvenile recidivism with emphasis on knowledge of self, career development, financial literacy, trades, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Bridge 04
A Bridge to Dignity & Economic Mobility
Workforce Development
Connects individuals to pathways into, back into, and upward within the workforce. Prioritizes returning citizens and those disconnected from the job market through job readiness, expungement, transportation assistance, soft-skills development, and skill-specific placement.
Bridge 05
A Bridge to Collective Governance
The BEWCA Way
Defines how partners work together to correct historic underinvestment by organizing equitable funding flows, strengthening capacity, supporting cooperative economics, and positioning data, community voice, and Black enterprises as drivers of community wealth and sustainability.
Executive Steering Committee / Board of Directors
The people who
drive the work.
Mar-Quetta Boddie
Executive Steering Committee
Founder and Principal Consultant, Boddie and Associates Consulting.
Camille Dickerson
Executive Steering Committee
Owner, educator, collaborator, and creator of the Successful Renters Workshop and QSS Management, LLC.
Dr. Yolanda Moore-Forbes
Executive Steering Committee
Retired pediatrician, Akron Children’s Hospital.
Reverend Raymond Greene Jr.
Executive Steering Committee
Executive Director, Freedom BLOC.
Mark Greer
Executive Steering Committee
At-Large Member, Akron City Council.
Judi Hill
Executive Steering Committee
President, Akron Branch of the NAACP.
Karla McDay
Executive Steering Committee
Founder and CEO, Harmony House.
Imokhia Okolo
Executive Steering Committee
Attorney and community organizer, Okolo Law Firm LLC.
Dr. Damon Taylor
Executive Steering Committee
Founder and CEO, Here for You Enterprise.
Our Consultants
Charmaine Thurman
Consultant · Interim Executive Director
Terrence Shelton
Consultant · Harambee Circle Coordinator
Charles Williams
BEWCA ESC Consultant · Economic Advisor
Get Involved
Your Seat at the Table Is Waiting.
BEWCA is expanding its coalition of leaders, organizations, businesses, institutions, and community advocates committed to advancing economic equity and collective wellness throughout our region. Together, we create sustainable change through collaboration, data-informed action, and shared leadership.
Partners
Connecting visionaries,
driving change.
The Bridging Economic and Wellness Coalition for All (BEWCA) advances economic equity and community well-being by serving as a bridge between community voice, data, resources, and action. Grounded in the principles of collective work and responsibility, BEWCA strengthens pathways to opportunity by connecting residents, community-based organizations, institutions, and funders to address the root causes of inequity and create sustainable community change.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
African Proverb
Coalition Partners
Black-owned or Black-led businesses or nonprofits serving Greater Akron / Summit County whose mission aligns with BEWCA. Partners engage in collective work planning and use the Nguzo Saba to guide their interactions.
Funding Partners
Provide financial support and added value through expertise, networks, and in-kind resources to assist BEWCA in achieving its mission.
Community Partners
Strategic alliances formed between local organizations, businesses, or individuals toward a common community goal. Formal partners sign a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Fiscal Sponsor · UBF 501(c)(3)
BEWCA is partnered with the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland, founded in 1981. UBF's 40+ years of fiscal management brings viable support and oversight to our work.
Get Involved
Take Talk to Action towards Economic Equity.
BEWCA brings the community together through meaningful dialogue to find equitable, collective solutions. Whether you're an organization, business leader, community partner, or individual, there is a role for you in this work.
- BEWCAkron@gmail.com
- Mailing Address
-
P.O. Box 13701
2711 West Market St
Akron, Ohio 44333 - Fiscal Sponsor
- United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland · 501(c)(3)