Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Lynn Marshall.
Hi Dr. Marshall, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 2017, I moved from Jesup, GA. to Winter Haven, Florida to begin a new life with my husband. Not only was I a newlywed, but I was also new to the Central Florida area. After a five years career of teaching adult education at Coastal Pines Technical College, I found myself in a new city, new marriage, new church and new community. Little did I know that a new career would also await. After filling out countless job applications for the education sector, I still had yet to receive a call for an interview. At that time, I was feeling frustrated and discouraged about the possibilities of returning back to a career in education. It was around that time that I came across an education and training coordinator position for Healthy Start Coalition HSC. I was totally unfamiliar with the organization, but I saw the word education. So I jumped on it. Shortly after submitting my application, I received a call for an interview. Two months later, I was officially working as an education and training coordinator at HSC. It was during that time that I became educated on matters pertaining to maternal and child health. As my husband and I were looking to expand our family, I became intrigued with everything that I could learn about maternity. It was during this time that I joined the Florida Department of Health: Florida Healthy Babies Committee. After sharing my concerns pertaining to infant mortality and the seven social determinants of health, I was inspired to lead a sub-committee that was comprised of local community partners such as the Florida Department of Health, Spirit Life Ministries, Lakeland Regional Health, etc. that shared the same passion and concerns that I had pertaining to maternal and child health.
It was in 2018 when my colleague (Tonya) and I were sitting in our office trying to come up with a name for a community health event that would be at no cost to the community. It was then when I suggested the name Melanin Families Matter. We both agreed that the name was relevant to the need we were looking to address, and in 2019, we hosted our first Melanin Families Matter community event at the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children at Lakeland Regional Health. It was during this time when we had a panel that consisted of medical and mental health experts that addressed questions and concerns that pertained to infant mortality and the challenges that African Americans experience during and after their pregnancy. We also had a fatherhood panel that consisted of various male professionals that had an opportunity to share their story, address misconceptions that pertain to African American fathers and answer community questions. The event was a tremendous success, and the following media outlets were delighted to cover it on their platform: The Lakeland Ledger, Bay 9 News and local TV station Polk Place. It was in 2019 that I decided to incorporate Melanin Families Matter as a non-profit and serve as the President. Since then, the organization has received proclamations from the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, the City of Lakeland Mayor H. William Mutz and the city of Winter Haven, Bradley T. Dantzler since 2019. These proclamations have been set in place to inform the community that African American babies are two times more likely to die before reaching their first birthday, and African American women are three to four times more likely to die during their pregnancy or postpartum. These factors are the result of challenges that pertain to the following social determinants of health: Education, transportation, housing, employment, racism, toxic stress and poverty.
Since 2019, I continue to host Melanin Families Matter community events that provide education and resources to Polk County, Florida residents. In addition to providing education, I decided to expand the organization further by spearheading a community distribution day that transpires twice a year. It is during this time that clothing, food, car seats, and other miscellaneous items are provided to the community at no cost. My role as a community activist has afforded me the opportunity to speak on various platforms, and in March of 2022, I was informed that Congressman Darren Soto accepted my nomination to receive congressional recognition for Women’s History Month. On March 24th, I will be participating in a virtual ceremony with Congressman Soto. I was further informed that my bio will be read Live on the U.S. House floor and will be aired on C-SPAN. Furthermore, my bio will be submitted to into the Library of Congress (the world’s largest library). On March 19th, 2022, Melanin families Matter will host our 3rd annual Melanin Families Matter event entitled “Hope During a Health Decline.” As Melanin Families Matter continues to work towards reducing maternal and infant mortality and providing resources and education to African American families, we hope to see positive changes and an increase in equity and wellness in the Polk County, Florida community.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of the common struggles that most non-profits experiences are a lack of funding. Melanin Families Matter has been fortunate enough to receive monetary donations and in-kind donations from community partners. Annual donations and sponsors have assisted in keep in the organization a float.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Leap Effect Group LLC?
I serve as the chief operation officer and communication strategist for The Leap Effect Group LLC. As a communication strategist, I specialize in internal communications. My areas of expertise include providing effective communication trainings and workshops to contracted organizations that are interested in having their managers and front-line staff undergo training. The areas that I specialize in include the following communication masteries: Leadership, Team, Relationship, Presentation / Public Speaking, Conflict Resolution and Negotiation. My motto is “If You Can Change Your Communication, You Can Change Your Life.” In addition to providing corporate trainings, I also provide a communication program to those that are interested in professional development communication practices. Communication programs are complete with virtual trainings, private one-on-one sessions and written materials that clients can reference as their go to best practice resource. I am most proud of having the opportunity to have trained front-line staff in law enforcement, education, the medical field and other areas of social service. I am currently on a virtual communication tour that is open to the community. Prospective participants can go to www.theleapeffect.com to get an inside look of what a training is like or lynnmarshallcommunicates.com to register for trainings. Free consultations can also be scheduled by going to www.theleapeffect.com
What does success mean to you?
I define success as doing whatever God has called me to do for the season that I am in.
Contact Info:
- Email: melaninfamiliesmatter@mail.com
- Website: www.theleapeffect.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnsimmonsmarshall/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnMarshallCS
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHKspBOucW4ihwygkyk0leQ
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/lynn.simmons.1042
