For fighting to close the healthcare gap in underserved communities, the Rev. Dr. Candace Kelly was one of four Southern California recipients last month of the Molina Cares Community Champions Award, presented by the Molina Cares Accord.
Each awardee, including Derrick Brown of Inglewood, Lucy Brizuela of Boyle Heights and Julie McCall of Long Beach, received $5,000 to donate toward a chosen cause. For her part, Kelly donated to the Dare to Dream Scholarship Society.
“I chose to donate to the Dare to Dream Scholarship Society which provides scholarships to bright young individuals who are seeking a post-secondary education but may need help in affording books and tuition,” Kelly explained
“With these funds, I can continue expanding upon community outreach efforts and uplift the Dare to Dream Scholarship Society with needed resources. I can also continue advocating for Birth Equity through seminars and my upcoming book, ‘Nurturing Equity Minded Healthcare Providers’.”
For years, Kelly has been an advocate for healthy outcomes among those facing challenges to access. She has spent a substantial amount of time speaking to victims of human trafficking throughout Las Vegas and Long Beach, including serving on the Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force. In that capacity, she has focused on helping victims begin their healing and transition to a state of normalcy. She currently serves as a board member of Human Save and as the chaplain at Long Beach Memorial Hospital comforting hundreds of families a year who are grieving the loss of a parent or newborn.
Dare to Dream Incorporated is a non-profit organization “solely dedicated to the holistic development of men, women, and youth through mentoring, empowering, spiritual and academic training and education, outreach, advocacy,” according to their website.
Their mission, they said, is to “preserve a legacy of extraordinary women, teens, and young adults through teaching core values of respect, integrity, compassion, and being an advocate for social justice. We are confident that a healthier community is possible when women and teens and young adults are empowered with the necessary tools and life skills to maximize their potential.”
Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., the MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform “created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities.”
To get involved with the Dare to Dream Society visit daretodreamscholarshipsociety.com or call 562.359.5210.