The Institute for Creative Community Initiatives (ICCI) is holding its inaugural coat drive to benefit Shepherd’s Cove Emergency Shelter for women and children in Capitol Heights, Md. – the only shelter for women and children in the county. Having kicked off in December, the coat drive is nearing its end and the community is urged to bring any coat donations to their offices by Jan. 28. Coats can be dropped off at HCD International headquarters located at 4390 Parliament Place, Suite A, Lanham, Md., between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Currently the organization has collected approximately 200 coats.

Five years ago, Drummond saw the challenges facing youth and started a nonprofit, “with the intent of trying to build communities up from the grassroots level by engaging youth and young adults from an internal perspective. The vision of ICCI really started some years ago when I started HCD International, which is a management consulting firm that is really dedicated to improving healthcare for all populations – all Americans – especially those in vulnerable communities.”

It was the idea of Drummond, a physician’s assistant, and her husband, a physician, to give back. “We are just really passionate about the community and the health of the community; and we wanted to see how we could improve the sustainability of the community.”

“We need to really start with the youth and family in trying to promote wellness. Wellness really begins within – self esteem, having a job and an education so you can have the means to buy good food and understand the importance of health. So we look at it from a very raw context of population health; how do you improve the health of a particular population in a community. And we know that in vulnerable communities, often times, the resources aren’t necessarily there for a number of reasons which we call the social determinants of health: perhaps less education, food deserts, health literacy issues. There are a myriad of issues – no one particular piece – but we know as a country everyone should have a right to health care; and if we are going to improve the quality of healthcare across our country we have to figure out how do we go into these communities, that are often compromised for one reason or another, and contribute to improving them.”

Always looking to contribute to the community, the ICCI is involved in efforts to better support susceptible individuals and communities through mentoring, education and training.

“We focus on providing to youth, young adults and families in vulnerable communities with strategies to help them adopt healthy lifestyles,” said Emily Wilson, Project Manager for ICCI.

“We have three main goals. The first is to counsel and support at-risk youth, counseling them about substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, literacy, domestic violence, and building self-esteem. Secondly, we want to assist individuals and families in gaining employment through providing skills training; and our third goal is to mentor at-risk youth throughout the Metropolitan DC area.”

The organization has provided a multitude of programs, such as summer internships and a county-wide conference titled Girl Code. Girl Code hosted more than 40 girls with a focus on issues and topics of concern for girls such as healthy relationships, body image and safe usage of social media. ICCI also conducts an after school program at Charles Herbert Flowers High School for girls; meeting bi-weekly, it provides a venue for which girls can discuss issues they are dealing with currently.

With an aim to influence and build youth and young adults, the organization focuses programs and resources to adolescences. “The youth initiative plans to provide learning experiences that will help young adults develop necessary life skills that will enable them to succeed in school and the real world, as well as plan for the future. The initiative will also help to build character and confidence as they embrace healthy lifestyles. We also have our program participants give back to the community by having them complete community service projects in order to promote social responsibility. We also look to educate youth and young adults about the dangers and consequence of engaging in risky health behaviors,” said Watson.

The coat drive was born out of the “HCDI 5C”: Customer, Client, Communications, Culture, and Community. Living the community arm of the 5C, the organization is always looking for ways to give back to the community. Drummond reflected on a recent visit to the shelter when she spoke of the importance of giving back, “There were kids that wanted a chance, want an opportunity; moms and dads that love their kids just like I do and for whatever reason just didn’t have a chance. What we can do is try to keep people warm and give them a coat. We just want to give back especially at a time when the world is in such turmoil…it’s just a time where I think that Christ is calling us to be the keeper of our brother and this is our way… We just want to show love; and the best way we can do that is right where we are.”

The organization welcomes volunteers, as well as companies and organizations with an interest in partnering, for their events. Anyone interested can contact the organization at 301-552-8803. You can also contact the organization to be placed on their mailing list. Also, keep apprised of upcoming events via Twitter (@ICCIEmpowerment). For more information about ICCI, visit iccinitiatives.org.