Advocates for Healthy Living (AHLI) 2020

Join Rutgers University’s Office of University—Community Partnership’s Advocates for Healthy Living and our Greater Newark Community Partners for five weeks of virtual sessions geared towards living your best life during COVID-19.

Mon, Wed, Fri, July 6–August 7, 2020 (session times may vary)

Living Your Best Life

Virtually

Eat Drink and Be Healthy

Get fit, stay in shape, meditate, eat great, enjoy your favorite oldies but goodies, and performances by award-winning musical artists, all in the comfort of your own home.

Meditation, Motivation & Music Mondays

  • Guided Meditation
  • Motivation/Inspirational Talks
  • Music Therapy
  • Musical Entertainment provided by Antoinette Montague and Leisa, the One Woman Band

Wellness Workshop
Wednesdays

  • Panel Discussions with Medical & Research Experts
  • Senior Services, COVID-19 Safety & Contact Tracing
  • Ask the Doctor
  • A Conversation with University Hospital Medical Specialists & CEO

Fun, Fitness & Food
Fridays

  • Sit & Fit and Zumba with Crystal Gaynor
  • Cooking Tips from the American Heart Association, Rutgers–Newark Gourmet Dining, and ScreenNJ
  • Therapeutic Gardening with the Greater Newark Conservancy
Week One – July 6-10, 2020
Meditation, Motivation & Music Mondays Wellness Workshop Wednesdays Fun, Fitness & Food Fridays

Guided Meditation: Celeste A. Bateman, Celeste A. Bateman & Associates, LLC

Motivational/Inspirational Talk – The Law
Presenter: Andrew Manns, Esq.

Music Therapy: Renowned Musical Artist Antoinette Montague
Moderator: Pam Morgan, Woman in Media-Newark

Time: 1:00pm

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Creating a Healthy & Safe Environment for Seniors During COVID19 & All You Need to Know About Contact Tracing

 

Moderator:  Dr. Charles Menifield, PhD, Dean, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University-Newark

Panelists:

  • Dr. Denise V. Rodgers, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS)
    Denise V. Rodgers, MD, FAAFP is Vice Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Professor of Family Medicine at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Assemblywoman Shanique Speight
    Honorable Shanique Speight, Assemblywoman 29th Legislative District, Vice Chair-Aging and Senior Services Committee, member of Health, and Human Services
  • Dr. Mitchel Rosen, Rutgers School of Public Health, Department of Urban-Global Public Health
    Mitchel Rosen, PhD, Director of the Center for Public Health Workforce Development and Associate Professor in the Rutgers School of Public Health, Urban and Global Public Health Department

Time: 1:00pm

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Fitness: Sit & Fit
(Simple stretching/exercise while sitting)
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 12:30pm

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Zumba Session
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 1:00pm

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Cooking Tips
Instructor:
 Rev. Natalie Mitchum, Registered Dietician,
American Heart Association
Time: 2:00pm

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Week Two – July 13-17, 2020
Meditation, Motivation & Music Mondays Wellness Workshop(s) Wednesdays Fun, Fitness & Food Fridays

Guided Meditation: Celeste A. Bateman, Celeste A. Bateman & Associates, LLC

Motivational/Inspirational Talk – Making a Sewless Mask
Presenter: 
Andrella Gaynor, Designer/Owner, Bae Bandanas (Newark)

Music Therapy: Leisa, the One-Woman Band 
Moderator: Pam Morgan, Executive Director, Women in Media-Newark
Time: 1:00pm

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Care Around the Clock – University Hospital is Here for You: A Conversation with the Specialists

  • Moderator: Brooke Tippens, Director, Department of Community Affairs, University Hospital NJ
  • Panelists:
  • Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, President & CEO
  • Ravi J. Chokshi , MD, MPH, FACS, Chief of Surgical Oncology, Cancer specialist
  • Kathleen Pergament, DO, MPH, FACP, Division of General Internal Medicine, Chronic diseases specialist
  • Emad Aziz, MD, Director of the Arrhythmia Institute, Heart specialist
  • Karma Warren, MD, Emergency Room Physician Medical emergency specialist
  • Time: 10:00am

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Fitness: Sit & Fit 
(Simple stretching/exercise while sitting)
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 12:30pm

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Zumba Session
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 1:15pm

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Activity: Healthy Eating in Relation to Cancer Prevention
A Chat with Evelyn Fuertes, NDTR, Community Cancer Control Specialist, & Michelle Jansen, MS, MAT, Community Cancer Control Specialist Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Time: 2:15pm

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Week Three – July 20-25, 2020
Meditation, Motivation & Music Mondays Wellness Workshop(s) Wednesdays Fun, Fitness & Food Fridays

Guided Meditation: Sankeerth
Kondapalli

Motivational/Inspirational Talk: Headwraps – Andrella Gaynor, Owner/Designer, Bae Bandanas, Newark, NJ

Music Therapy: Renowned Musical Artist Antoinette Montague
Moderator: Pam Morgan, Women in Media-Newark
Time: 1:00pm

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Discussion with Research Experts, “The Importance of Research & Who Protects Participants in Clinical Trials”

Moderators: Francis Dixon, Executive Director of Social Services, The New Hope Baptist Church, AHLI Board Member & Dr. Diane Hill, Assistant Chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark

Panelists:

  • Dr. XinQi Dong, Director, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University

  • Dr. Shawna Hudson, Professor and Research Division Chief Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

  • Dr. Jose G. Centeno, Professor, Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences, School of Health Professions, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
  • Evelyn Fuertes, NDTR, Community Cancer Control Specialist, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

Time: 1:00pm

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Fitness: Sit & Fit 
(Simple stretching/exercise while sitting)
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 12:30pm

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Zumba Session
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 1:15pm

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Activity: Intro to Edible Gardening
Presenter:
Malcolm McClain, Greater Newark Conservancy
Time: 2:15pm

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Week Four – July 27-31, 2020
Meditation, Motivation & Music Mondays Wellness Workshop(s) Wednesdays Fun, Fitness & Food Fridays

Guided Meditation: Nature — Christopher Goydos

Motivational/Inspirational Talk: Physical activity — Christopher Galifi 

Music Therapy: Leisa, the One-Woman Band
Moderator: Pam Morgan, Women in Media-Newark
Time: 1:00pm

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Getting to Your Senior Service Center: What’s Available to You

Moderator: Keith DaCosta, Managing Director CareSparc Consulting, Inc. / Sustainable Health & Wellness Village Initiatives  

Panelists:

  • Mary Dawkins, Director, Hillside Senior Services
  • Rita Butts, Manager, East Orange Senior Service Center
  • Patrick Council, Director, Recreation, Cultural Affairs and Senior Services, City of Newark

Time: 1:00pm

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Fitness: Sit & Fit 
(Simple stretching/exercise while sitting)
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 12:30pm

 

Click here to join


Zumba Session
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 1:15pm

Click here to join


Cooking Demonstration with Rutgers-Newark Gourmet Dining
Healthy Summer Salads 

Instructor(s):

  • Sandra Draper, Director of Catering
  • Karly O’Brien, Gourmet Dining Dietitian
  • Brian Conway, Director of Dining

Time: 2:15pm

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Week Five – August 3-7, 2020

Meditation, Motivation & Music Mondays Wellness Workshop(s) Wednesdays Fun, Fitness & Food Fridays

Guided Meditation: Celeste A. Bateman, Celeste A. Bateman & Associates, LLC

Motivational/Inspirational Talk—Living Your Best Life
Presenter:
First Officer Carole C. Hopson, United Airlines

Music Therapy: Renowned Musical Artist Antoinette Montague
Moderator: Pam Morgan, Woman in Media-Newark
Time: 1:00pm

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Senior Bullying: What to Do About Elder Abuse

Panelists:

  • Louise Layton, Adjunct Professor, Essex County Community College, AHLI Board Member
  • Janel Bell, Director of Program Coordination of Adult Protective Services of Essex County

 

A Check Up from the Neck Up: How Are You Fairing During COVID-19?

Moderator:
Francis Dixon, Executive Director of Social Services, The New Hope Baptist Church, AHLI Board Member

  • Panelists:
    Laverne Williams, Mental Health Association in New Jersey’s Promoting Emotional Wellness and Spirituality (PEWS) Faith-Based Initiatives
  • Frances Teabout, Director of Mission, New Community Corporation (NCC)

    Time: 1:00pm

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Fitness: Sit & Fit
(Simple stretching/exercise while sitting)
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 12:30pm

 

Click here to join


Zumba Session
Instructor: Crystal Gaynor
Time: 1:15pm

Click here to join


Grocery Shopping and Cooking Tips
Instructor:
Rev. Natalie Mitchum, Registered Dietician
American Heart Association

Time: 2:15pm

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Community Partners

American Heart Association; CareSparc Consulting Inc.; City of Newark-Recreation, Cultural Affairs and Senior Services; East Orange Senior Services; Essex County Division of Senior Services; Greater Newark Conservancy; Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition; Hillside Senior Services; Mental Health Association in New Jersey; New Community Corporation; New Hope Baptist Church; North Jersey Black Clergy; Rotary Club of Newark, NJ; Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance; Rutgers Global Health Institute; Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research; Rutgers–Newark Gourmet Dining; Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School; Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration; ScreenNJ; The Positive Community Magazine; University Hospital; Urban Healthcare Initiative Program; West Ward Community Coalition; Woman in Media-Newark; Zonta Club of Essex County