LIVERPOOL — Marielle Emmanuel is just in eighth grade, but she’s already tackling two major issues facing her community: heart disease and nutrition insecurity.
In April, the American Heart Association selected the Liverpool teenager as part of the inaugural Teen of Impact campaign, an offshoot of AHA’s Go Red for Women program. Marielle and 12 other Upstate New York teens are acting as ambassadors for AHA’s mission and raising money for the organization through June 14.
“I was involved in the American Heart Association from a young age doing the heart walks with my mom,” Marielle said. “It’s very important to me because of family members and close friends that have been affected by heart disease.”
Selina Lazarus, Marielle’s mother, said heart disease runs on both sides of the family and is a major issue for Black and Latino communities. According to a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42.1% of Black people over age 20 have high blood pressure. Black and Hispanic populations also are more likely to have diabetes or obesity than white or Asian people, the CDC said.
That’s where Marielle’s other cause — fighting nutrition insecurity — comes in.
“People of color and in poor communities, they don’t have access to nutrition security and foods that are good for them, and the air they’re breathing might not be the best quality,” Marielle said.
Areas like the South Side of Syracuse lack access to fresh produce and other healthy food. Small city stores might offer shelf-stable processed food, which can be high in sodium or added sugar.
“They really just have access to food for survival,” Marielle said.
“At least in the city of Syracuse, there aren’t a whole lot of grocery stores,” Lazarus said. “You find that they have a lot of corner stores and bodegas.”
Through a project for the Black leadership organization Jack and Jill of America, Marielle took photos to demonstrate nutrition insecurity. One photo shows a vacant grocery store — the former Nojaim Brothers Supermarket on the Near Westside, which closed in 2017. The Brady Faith Center plans to open a market and community center there soon.
For her Teen of Impact campaign, Marielle is hoping to raise enough money to install a community garden on the South Side. She has yet to find a suitable location, but Cornell Cooperative Extension is assisting with the project.
Marielle said her fundraising goal is $5,000. She held a pet photo contest with a $5 entry fee, offering prizes such as gift cards and distributing information about heart health.
“She’s been sending out emails and speaking to groups to share what this impact will do for the community she lives in,” Lazarus said.
The top fundraiser in the Teens of Impact group will receive $1,000 toward college.
“She’s one of the youngest ones out of the entire group that’s doing it,” Lazarus said. “We’ve been pushing ahead.”
Marielle said being selected as a Teen of Impact has been “really cool.”
“A lot of people my age … would not do something this big or have an impact in my community,” she said. “We’re all trying to push to do the same thing, which is help spread awareness and overcome heart disease.”
Marielle Emmanuel’s AHA fundraiser runs through June 14. To donate, visit http://bit.ly/AHAmarielle.
