[Piano begins playing] [Kendra Lindsey] Hi, I'm Kendra Lindsey, three years later. I'm now a mother, a home owner. I'm still a businesswoman, I'm still a community health worker. And I'm fired up. I'm fired up for more change, and more growth, and revisiting this project just reminded me of my passion. So, thank you. [Piano music fades] Hi. My name is Kendra Lindsey. I am a certified community health worker, born and raised in Baltimore City. My mission is to create a healthier Baltimore, where people have resources to get the things that they need, such as food, clothing, shelter, health insurance, et cetera. For example, if you have medical bills that are outrageous, and still need to get medical care, we're going to figure out how to cover those medical bills so that our clients do not have to worry about the cost of their healthcare coverage. They can focus on being seen by medical providers. Medical bills are not a stressor all on their own. Especially for people with chronic health conditions, they shouldn't have to worry about how they're going to pay for medical bills, utility bills, and prescriptions. That's why community health workers are here. We're trying to eliminate those barriers to care, reduce stress, and keep the emergency room visits down. We're currently on the front porch of my parents' home today in Gwynns Falls. I was raised in Northwest Baltimore, in the Park Heights area. I'm from a family of five, which consists of my mother, my father, my sister, my brother, and myself. I'm the youngest child. I have great parents who are also great providers. I would say that we were a middle-class family as we were growing up. There was some struggles, but we were also fortunate compared to some of the other families in my community. My parents made it look much easier than it was, keeping things together and not letting us know what some of the real struggles were like. They did a good job. I'm very fortunate to have a two-parent household, because a lot of my friends didn't have that. My family is the foundation and the center of my gravity. Without them, I don't think I would be this far. I think it takes a lot of love and patience. I started my first business in high school, my second business in 2014, and I am currently still running it; it's KenLinFit, a personal training and health and wellness business, where I'm the personal trainer and the CEO. I help people reach their health goals, which is really in line with my work as a community health worker. I specialize in weight loss training. I help people feel more confident about themselves. Because it's not only about weight loss, but it's about creating a better mindset, a better spirit, breaking old habits, and creating new life journeys. I became a certified community health worker about four years ago because of my dad. He said, "You are a trainer, and you like doing stuff like this. There's a lot of people going around helping others. You should apply to be a CHW." I asked, "What is that?" He said, "It's pretty much what you do, but they also do other stuff." I'm not one of those people who don't listen to their parents, so I applied for the job. And I happened to get an interview. They asked me what did I know about the community, and I said, "Well, I'm in Baltimore every day, and I do this, and I do that," but I had no formal training. But, when I sat down and started to talk about all of my life experiences, I realized that I've actually been doing this for lots of years. If I see someone, I'll guide them. I'll give them a resource. I'll give them a helping hand. And that's pretty much the same thing as a community health worker. I'm here to grab somebody's hand, show them the resource, and see how I can help them, wherever I can, or however I can. You must be a different type of person to be a CHW. You must have vision. Right now, I'm going to focus on my people and giving them the care that they need, even though I'm underpaid. In my heart, I'm doing the right thing, which is bridging the gap and joining organizations to make sure that citizens of this city are taken care of, whether it's from the water bill, the property taxes, or whatever is a barrier to their care. We are getting robbed in all ways, shapes, and forms. I'm no longer letting others plan stuff around me without including me. That's my whole reason for being in everything that I'm in. I need to know what's going on. You're going to treat me with respect, because that's what I give when I walk into a room, and I'm not going to accept anything less. When I wake up, no matter who I'm representing, what uniform I'm in, or what label I'm wearing, the first thing that I'm representing is myself, my parents, and my God-like entity that is within me, and I always carry my light. What we bring, as community health workers, is a personal touch and a sense of care. I can come to you, I can meet you where you are. I've been in your shoes. I'm from where you're from. I can relate to you. You are already meeting people who are traumatized in some way, and the last thing that they want to do is to bring any more stress, trauma, heartache, pain, or distrust to them. My goal is to bridge the gaps in Baltimore City when it comes to poverty, when it comes to segregation, when it comes to creating a healthier Baltimore, but especially for our Black people and our Black communities. It is important to hear what's going on all over this city so that we can tie those loose ends and see how we can work together as one to create a healthier community. We're not in a white coat. We speak your language. We meet you on your block, in your street, in your community. Even if it's not a safe neighborhood, we show up, and it makes us proud to be a community health worker, because I know we are doing a special calling.