This past Thursday at the Faith Health Summit, the Partners in Health and Wholeness (PHW) program of the North Carolina Council of Churches presented the 2022 Willona Stallings Award for Excellence in Community Innovation to Annie McIver, Health Lead for Cameron Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
Willona Stallings was the first director of Partners in Health and Wholeness, and it was her vision that led to its launch in 2010 as a flagship program of the North Carolina Council of Churches. This award is designed to recognize a PHW health lead/faith leader and the faith community who have been instrumental in spearheading a new and innovative project, program, or initiative that addresses an important health need in their community. Annie and Cameron Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion church were nominated because of the creative and impactful work that they do to help their community live happier, healthier lives.
Annie is a dedicated health lead, whether talking about mental health, working in the Cameron Grove Gardens, or attending PHW events. She embodies integrating our faith and health together.
Here’s one of the many reasons we nominated Annie to receive this award: “Annie stands out as a leader in many ways, but one example in particular: she took a group from her church to get tested for HIV. Many of the young people were worried about testing, so Annie went and got tested herself to destigmatize testing and be an example for the church.”
Cameron Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church has been a part of Partners in Health and Wholeness since 2011. Below is a quote from Cameron Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church’s 2022 PHW Collaborative application:
“Thank you so very much for allowing the Cameron Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church family to join you as a partner in Health and Wholeness. The mini-grants we received in the past several years have allowed us to be a blessing to our church family and the community. We have learned so much from the virtual seminars and presentations on health and wellness issues.”
