On Friday December 4, 2015, Healing with CAARE, Inc. hosted its inaugural Jeanne Hopkins Lucas Education and Wellness Center Leadership Awards Gala. The Gala was planned to celebrate CAARE’s 20th Year of Service in Healthcare Innovation for Durham, NC and surrounding, while recognizing and honoring outstanding community leaders and volunteers who have provided valuable services to CAARE’s overall mission, to eliminate health disparities and provide holistic care to underserved populations.
Keynote Speaker United States Deputy Surgeon General, Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, spoke about how CAARE, Inc. serves as a model for community development and public health solutions that should be implemented across the country. As Deputy Surgeon General, RADM Sylvia Trent-Adams advises and supports the Surgeon General regarding operations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps and in communicating the best available scientific information to advance the health of the nation. She has served as the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service since November 2013. In this role she advises the Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human Services on the recruitment, assignment, deployment, retention, and career development of Corps nurse professionals. RADM Trent-Adams spoke of the importance of partnering with organizations like CAARE to serve the community and work to address health disparities and social determinants of health. The work of the USPHS is much like that of CAARE as it strives to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the nation.
Healing with CAARE, Inc. was founded in 1995 by sisters and Durham natives, Dr. Sharon Elliott-Bynum and the late Patricia Riley Amaechi as a result of their dedication to serving the needs of the Durham community. For twenty years, CAARE has provided free health care, public health education, and human services to thousands of uninsured and underserved individuals. Currently, the agency serves more than 1,100 individuals every month.
The CAARE Gala was organized to bring together a variety of community leaders, partners, volunteers and community constituents who support the mission and vision of Healing with CAARE, Inc. The special event was planned to accomplish three major goals: (1) Celebrate Healing with CAARE’s 20th Year of Service and Healthcare Innovation for Durham, NC and surrounding counties; (2) Recognize and honor outstanding community leaders and volunteers who have provided valuable service to Healing with CAARE, Inc. in support of the agency’s overall mission to eliminate health disparities and provide holistic care to underserved populations; and (3) Raise funds for Healing with CAARE’s campaign to support the health and human services provided by the Jeanne Hopkins Lucas Education and Wellness Center and other programs at CAARE.
The Education and Wellness Center at Healing with CAARE is named after the late Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, the first African American woman elected to serve in North Carolina’s State Senate. Senator Lucas was a retired educator and educational administrator in the Durham Public Schools prior to serving as a State Senator; she was re-elected six times. Senator Lucas was a fierce advocate for education and health access for underserved populations. Senator Lucas was also a mentor to CAARE’s founder Dr. Sharon Elliott-Bynum, and she supported the development of the Education and Wellness Center at Healing with CAARE. Proceeds from the Gala will support the Jeanne Hopkins Lucas Education and Wellness Center to further continue services and to expand the agency’s reach to improve health and human services to the Durham community and surrounding counties.
Dr. Carol Golin shared, “The Gala event was a wonderful way to honor and pay tribute to Dr. Sharon Elliot-Bynum. Several of us from the CFAR, including CFAR Director Ron Swanstrom and Code Office Executive Director, Caressa White attended the event to express our gratitude to Dr. Bynum and CAARE, Inc for their generosity in fostering partnerships between CAARE and CFAR researchers. It was inspiring to take stock of the many, many ways Dr. Bynum and Healing with CAARE, Inc. have contributed to the Durham community over the past 20 years. One of Dr. Bynum’s many leadership skills was her ability to inspire generosity in others to volunteer their talents and resources to CAARE and this was how she was able to grow such a vibrant organization. I felt very honored and grateful to be able to be at this lovely event.”
Visit this page to read a tribute to the life and work of Dr. Sharon Elliot-Bynum.