Congratulations to Lynn Brummell-Presley, a Women of Colors featured member! Lynn is an active member of the WOC Prevention Team. Since her parents and siblings migrated to Saginaw, Michigan, from Guyana, South America, she immediately began her involvement with working, volunteering, and knowing the community in which she was about to live.
During that time, she met Yvonne Riggins Thomas and Evelyn McGovern while they were recruiting membership and planning programs for the youth of Saginaw. She first utilized their volunteer services for Saginaw African Culture Festival and Family Youth Initiative (FYI) Programs, for which she served as Vice Chairman and Coordinator, respectively.
Since Lynn was a Licensed Clinical Family Therapist, Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and Certified Prevention Specialist, she was approached by Evelyn to help make a dream come true. Together, they implemented a prevention program to provide service for youth and adults under the umbrella of WOC. “With my education, organizing, and leadership skills in programming, we were able to complete the tasks before us,” Lynn recalls.
Lynn celebrates the growth and community impact that has come from collaborating with like-minded leaders to make a difference: “We organized and supervised a Prevention Team for WOC. We started with 2 Prevention Specialists, and now we have 11 staff members, which includes 4 volunteer members.” The Prevention Specialists are provided with ongoing trainings throughout the year and utilize evidenced-based programs as defined by Women of Colors, the State of Michigan, and Mid State Health Network.
“I love serving and helping the people of my community, and that’s why I became a social worker,” says Lynn, who shares that they are working with the Prevention Specialists to become certified by McBAP and ICRC very soon. The WOC Prevention Team is already reaching thousands of viewers of all types through virtual and face-to-face programming. Prevention Specialists have been working in Saginaw Middle and High Schools, Saginaw County Juvenile, churches, and homeless shelters, to name just a few!