UNITY AWARDED W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION GRANT TO SUPPORT NEW "WELLNESS WARRIORS PROJECT"

NOVEMBER 3, 2016 – MESA, AZ – With continued efforts and great strides to promote and address racial healing and equity in the U.S., the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded the United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY) a $763,124 grant over a three-year period. The grant will support UNITY's newest program called the UNITY Wellness Warriors Project. The new program aims to increase the awareness of the need for and benefits of adopting a lifestyle that incorporates a culturally-relevant and measurable personal wellness plan that will lead to transformational change.

UNITY will create a national campaign that involves its 160 affiliated youth councils to help develop and carry out community service projects through which they will learn about the wellness related issues within their communities, the way in which these issues are being addressed, identify the related community services available, and plan and implement a youth-led service project that promotes community and personal wellness. The program will also encourage youth councils to create physical activities that involve cultural history and language as a means of preserving and honoring heritage.

"We are truly elated with the generous support for the UNITY Wellness Warrior Project from the Kellogg Foundation. The grant helps UNITY realize one of our organizational goals of investing in the health and wellness of our Native youth," said Mary Kim Titla, Executive Director of UNITY, Inc. "For forty years now, UNITY has promoted social, spiritual, mental, and physical well-being through our programs and outreach efforts. The UNITY Wellness Warriors Project will further support the Native healthy lifestyle movement among our youth in tribal and urban communities," added Titla.

UNITY is now conducting a national search for a Project Manager and Project Coordinator to support and implement the new UNITY Wellness Warriors program. Those interested in viewing the job description and applying may visit the UNITY website at http://www.unityinc.org.