The UH Collegiate Cancer Council is helping raise health awareness with a benefit Thursday and Saturday for Cuney Homes, located in Houston’s Third Ward.
Roy Emanuel, vice president of the CCC and chair of the 2009 Cuney Homes benefit, said the CCC was founded in 1905 and is a small organization focused on spreading awareness on health around the community. He wants to stress the importance of health awareness to the residents of Cuney Homes, especially the minority residents.
‘Realizing the health scare that exists among minorities, we can do something about it,’ Emanuel said. ‘We can spread awareness and provide services to do our part to reduce health scares on our campus and in our community.’
Campus organizations, students and faculty plan to attend the two-day benefit to help the CCC bring attention to rising health concerns in the community.
‘This isn’t your traditional health fair where you get a bunch of pamphlets and forget about them when you go home,’ Emanuel said.
The office of student affairs, the UH football team and cheerleading team will be among those participating in the benefit.
The College of Optometry will give free eye exams and pass out glasses for children from the Cuney Homes as well.’
Representatives from Breast Cancer Network of Strength’s Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization will be at the Cuney Home community center providing free mammograms and answering any questions the residents have.’
The CCC has also paid for 30 glucose and cholesterol screenings, Emanuel said.
‘ ‘We are recruiting a plethora of varied exhibits, healthcare organizations, and social programs that will educate the residents,’ Emanuel said in an e-mail.
The CCC has surpassed their budget for the benefit, Emanuel said, but the UH Health Center and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics have agreed to cover the extra costs of the benefit.
The CCC has decided to offer services to Cuney Homes because of it’s proximity to the UH community, Emanuel said.
Cuney Homes is a government-sponsored housing project, located on the 3000 block of Truxillo, a mile from UH.’ It is one of Houston’s oldest government sponsored projects.
‘The rate (for rent) is subsidized, so the city covers most of their rent,’ Emanuel said. ‘So basically this is a group of people in a low socioeconomic class, and as such, they’re often ignored when it comes to services of health and social wealth.’
The community houses 513 families who experience a marked disproportion when it comes to the basic opportunities that we all take for granted, Emanuel said.
This is the second time in two years that the CCC has hosted a benefit of this magnitude.’
The benefit will take place Friday and Saturday at the Cuney Homes community center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
UH Collegiate Cancer Council health awareness benefit
The CCC is partnering with numerous students groups to provide a variety of health services at no charge to the public this weekend.
When:
Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where:
Cuney Homes community center, 3000 block of Truxillo
Free services available:
Eye exams and glasses for children
Mammograms and answering any questions the residents have
Glucose and cholesterol screenings
Sponsors:
Breast Cancer Network of Strength’s Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization
UH Collegiate Cancer Council
UH Health Center
UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
UH College of Optometry
UH football team and cheerleading team
