Blog

Community

Unity With Community For A Thriving New York City!

unitywithcommunity

Amanda Wilkinson is running for City Council for District 7 of New York city for the unity and greater support of our community.

Unity with Community is my greatest passion and personal walk through life.

As a child that grew from extreme poverty, to a young adult that survived great odds from a crushing accident and relearned to walk again, my gratitude for life and community is everything I am here for. I lost my mother at the early age of 23, and both of my parents struggled with their health and finances throughout my early life. We were often without adequate resources and on the brink of homelessness. Through the most difficult times of fear and uncertainty, I experienced and understood the value of community and where it stands when united. I never took for granted the second chance at life I received, nor the opportunities that came along the way for me to give back, share my voice to uplift others, and my mission to continue to support community as a whole.

It takes one to give another hope, but it is in unity with community that we thrive!

Education

As a former early childcare and special needs education provider and mother, my understanding and focus on delivering great care and honest leadership to optimize our city’s educational sources, affordable programs and childcare with equality for all. To build on our education system for our educators, staff, specialists and services for children in need, universal after- school programs that provide all children opportunity to have the maximum educational resources to thrive, as well as grant further opportunities for extra curriculum programs for families facing economic inequality and further supporting community programs involving STEM and the Arts.

I went back to school after becoming a single mother to enhance my education and have the greater ability to provide for my child and future. It was through community that provided the support I needed during the challenging time to succeed. Understanding this, working to increase community resources in education for our families including parents who wish to enhance their lives, is the way to reverse social disparities and uplift community.

Children who are given the opportunity to thrive in school, have better outcomes in the future. If this is the only support for many outside of their home, we cannot fail, but provide the resources and opportunities to keep our children uplifted and on a path of success”. -Amanda Wilkinson

Healthcare and Homelessness

As a dedicated healthcare professional, standing strong in providing healthcare equality as I see the challenges for all patients, their caregivers, and the need to better supply our resources and awareness for the high demand in need. Bringing back and supporting our providers, staff, institutions to provide and maintain optimal healthcare. Including awareness and care for our LQBQT community, to those with challenges of mental health, healthcare for homeless, social and racial healthcare disparities.

I will continue to advocate and unite community, hospitals, providers, and administrators for quality healthcare and significantly increase resources into our community.

Having worked and volunteered directly with organizations that provide mental healthcare, care management, and housing services to the homeless community, I understand the challenges, but I see the opportunities where improvement can be improved with unity and by implementing optimal long term solutions and resources.

Inflation and Affordable Housing

As a single mother and resident, like you, I feel the economic hurt of inflation, high taxes, the barriers of affordable housing and the dire need of improving the livelihood of our community.

Unity with community is essential to combating inflation by driving up resources, and not our costs. Having a professional business background in consulting and Real Estate, I take my experience to support the foundation needed for our businesses, organizations, agencies, providers, protectors, that supplies our city’s resources. This is an issue that requires immediate crisis management for our stability and safety.

From leadership on access to affordable resources for our every day needs, increasing investment back into our community and further developing affordable housing, community controlled rents, and improving restrictions for rentals, affordable purchasing, and down payment assistance programs for future home buyers.

When taken away from one, it takes away from all.

Immigration

New York City’s diversity, culture, and economic standing thrives on its history of immigration. To protect our community is to also support our organizations and agencies that aids in legal, workforce, educational, and family programs to facilitate successful foundations for the future of those new to our communities.

Crime and Safety

Unity with community is also focused on strengthening our agencies leadership, the resources implemented for ongoing professional development, training, and education for strong recruits, our public protectors, first responders enforcing public presence, especially in high crime zones, will drive down fear, and maximize our public safety on streets, transportation, and a unit for sustainable organizations throughout our communities.

It is in unity with community where we not only survive, but thrive. WE will do so together”!

Paid for by Amanda M. Wilkinson, for City Council, Manhattan District 7, 2025

http://www.instagram.com/unitywithcommunitynyc

Community

Pink Aid Emergency Community Financial Assistance Program

unitywithcommunity

As a Registered nurse, I directly see the challenges of patient’s, their caregivers, and families, especially when there is new unforeseen diagnosis. Acute and long term illness often leads to a heavy and rapid financial crisis. There are many who do not have the physical or financial support of others to get through their day to day.

In the field of Oncology, I work directly with many patient’s diagnosed with breast cancer. I have seen and further understood many walks of the journey from the time of diagnosis and treatment to simply trying to mentally and physically survive each day. Patient’s are not only fighting for their health, but also to financially care for their dependents, to have adequate resources for everyday needs, and even their home when facing displacement.

I came across PINK AID, while researching resources for my patient’s as I would often find in a crisis and never with enough resources or support to get through. Pink Aid is a non-profit organization founded by an Oncology Nurse, that provides a leu of informational resources and emergency financial aid for every stage of breast cancer.

Unity with community to further support organizations helping those in crisis. Continue to share and support where one can. Sharing your knowledge also provides power to those that are feeling hopeless. Through ever journey is a story. Continue to share to uplift community.

Please visit http://www.pinkaid.org for more information on local and national resources, emergency aid and application.

Unity with Community!

Uncategorized

Freedom Unbroken

unitywithcommunity

Freedom is when we are unbroken. Having the ability to live a sustainable life. One dilled with substance. Giving opportunity, joy, love, and an absolute uplifting fulfillment with all that you desire and with all of whom fills your heart. Finding a place of safety and wellness ultimately with the world, especially while it remains quite ill.

Freedom is health, the ability to strengthen yourself everyday mentally, physically, spiritually, and how you are able to do so for yourself and with others.
Freedom is loving, caring, sharing, and uplifting one another rather than breaking eachother down. Freedom from within is being as good as one chooses to be. External freedom is simply living and doing so humanely. Enough hate, enough brokenness. May we see more healing with love.

Freedom is the ability to pick yourself up no matter how far or hard the fall. Healing from your breaks, strengthening your weaknesses, and maintaining this with everyday that moves you forward.Rather than be consumed with all that can possibly bring you down, do not take for granted all that you do have that truly lifts and keeps you up.

Freedom is life, one that is unpredictable so live each day as a miracle, because you are.
July 5th is that day of freedom for me. A day I reflect on all that may have physically broken me and tried keeping me down, but a day I celebrate life and how I never let one day go for granted.
I may have been physically crushed, but I never let anything break the core of who I ever was, and only gaining the strength for becoming who I am today. Most importantly, how I share this life with others. Remember this always for you too.

Stay strong, pick yourself up, and uplift others along the way. No one is hopeless and everyone has the opportunity to be healed- physically and emotionally.
Life is a miracle, let’s continue to live it in such a way we can celebrate this one opportunity together.

Unitywith community!

-A.M.W

This was me in my wheelchair after surviving a freak crushing accident leaving me with a broken back, hip, femur, and pelvis. In the process of surgery- physically weak, almost paralyzed and several complications along the way that almost took my life.

God is always amazing and so are people as I experienced as my life savior during this time and numerous moments throughout. People are beautiful when they choose to be. I never take a day of life for granted, and I always choose to uplift others at every opportunity because I know what it is like to be broken down. This is not what life was intended for, so may we continue to lift one another.

Uncategorized

Your Healing Journey and Achieving Your Greatest Mental Health. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

unitywithcommunity

I recently had the honor of speaking as a guest with NAMI Greater Houston, the 501c3 non-profit organization that provides advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can better their lives. A healing community that helps others gain resiliency on their road to wellness on a local, state and national level.

Throughout my virtual visit with NAMI, we were able to connect with community facing their own set of difficult challenges, especially during this year of the COVID pandemic. We spoke on how to start on your healing journey and how to maintain that personal freedom of peace as we continue forward in our journeys. Our healing journeys.

Some very key points that were brought up included how can others get involved to help community, especially when it came to mental health awareness and beating the negative stigma of mental health. The first thing I said was “We all have to know that is OK to have the need be OK!”. We all have and will go through something in our lifetime and none of us are alone when it comes to facing challenges. There is never room for anyone to ever feel above or ever make anyone feel below another, and no one is ever too important to simply show compassion and care.

Sharing some of my greatest achievements in overcoming some of my own life greatest challenges and it was always community that was my biggest blessing to do so. I can’t emphasize enough on the importance of community to remain in unity. It is not just how we survive, but it is how we thrive- Together!

With each blessing we receive throughout our journey, our triumphs over challenge, recovery, healing, gains, learning, and growth, we continue to share this with others. Our voice is our power and that for others who have not yet found their voice, especially when we cannot reach them physically. We are here to contribute, not take away from another or deprived on the things that are needed the most, especially in crisis. Revisiting the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Sharing our experiences provides resources and never forgetting our story is how we remain compassionate with others too.

There is a conflict in society where as a whole, it hasn’t learned how to accept and be ok with REAL life. What is portrayed, viewed, or admired to see life through a perfect lens, is only disguising and burying the underlining factors that enable lack of awareness, judgement, stigma, and it is only highly encouraged for others to be able to open their eyes for views beyond their surroundings. Providing a wider ability to view community and how society can shift in a much more true and holistic direction when it comes to caring for one another and accepting all of REAL LIFE.

In the way that we see others and most importantly connect, is on much more than a surface level. Our ability to understand on a deeper level for greater positive outcomes in which helps in every aspect of life- the workplace, relationships, as well as ourselves. When we are able to see through another’s perspective, hear what they hear, feel what they feel, we cannot have anything less than compassion. In the very real world, we are all hurting, suffer, face daily challenges, and we are all in need of compassion, love, and support for healing. The truth is, this is real life! We must be ok as a society to accept and support one another rather than disguising what isn’t ok, nothing or anyone is perfectly ok. The first step of taking on your personal healing journey, is honesty. Honesty first with ourselves, and others. It takes a lot of courage and self growth to get to where we want and need to be for ourselves. The truth we may see can hurt, but overcoming and thriving is our greatest lifelong reward.

Health is our wealth and without it nothing else matters. Health is not only for life but our abilit to live well. May we always strive to take care of self, one another, support, build and grow together as a whole community, a whole world. Right now the world is headed in a chronic state of disease. It is up to all of us to do what we can to nurture and supply the vital nutrients to reverse this process while we can before there is no point of return.

WE can start with self care. However, I am not referring to the monthly salon trips or occasional outing, but it is a daily practice that we have as a life style. Self care reflects on understanding our limits, being truthful with ourselves, others, knowing that it is ok to slow down and doing so when needed. Taking time in everyday to stop and reflect analyze, and redirect ourselves if and when we find ourselves lost, on the wrong path, and need to make positive and significant changes to our lives for the absolute greater good, our needs, and our personal growth. Reflect everyday. Know where you stand with yourself and where your peace stands with you at the end of each one.

Longevity and sustainability to our physical and mental health is when we take on and fill our lives with continuous positive action, thoughts, and people. A lifestyle that is of great habits and not letting anything or anyone come in between all things that are good for you. Always remember that we are here to contribute, not take away from another. Stress not only breaks down our physical bodies, but our mental health as well. Self care is not just for us, but it is also how we can better take of others as well. Anytime we are in a vulnerable state with challenges, there is a higher risk. Higher risk of losing control, especially when there is a lack of resources. Most often the hope of many is placed in others during the most challenging of times. This is humanity, our natural state of being and with unit being ingrained in community, we are never meant to stand alone. No one is ever hopeless or helpless. We are not alone.

Community is never to be segregated but to be with wholeness. How many people can honestly say the feel wholeness within themselves. When we work towards a shift as a whole community on how we love, give, support, help, build, and provide, we are working at a constant state of wholeness. Never losing the meaning of community is where we thrive. Together we build stairs to climb, rather than knocking each other down to get ahead, and many not in the right direction or even knowing where the are going. It is easy to get lost alone, but we will always find our way together. Never lose your courage or your faith. This will only take you where it is you need to go.

It starts from within and we can only choose how we build. Each and everyone of us are equipped with a set of tools and none are the same. We can’t successfully build alone as we will always be in the need for something. We can’t build a foundation or a strong building with missing tools. Building is always meant to do so together. This is unity with community!

Being a part of community is being part of something much bigger than ourselves. A way we reach the world with love because someone shared this message with us. May it always continue to grow with our support. Unity with Community!

-A.M.W

For more information on the NO COST services of NAMI Greater Houston, visit the links below.

Crisis hotline: Warmline can help.
Call (713) 970-4483In Crisis

Community, Education, health, health care, humanity, lifestyle, Mental Health, motivation, Non- Profit, support group, wellness

Life is crazy as we know it!

unitywithcommunity

Life gets crazy. Some out of our complete control. We have always known that for as long as we have lived. However, another thing we know is that everything is temporary. Therefore if the fire on wheels kind of a day rolls around, well tomorrow is a different day you will see. This is the hope that we receive with each day that moves forward.

What is important is to shield our peace from it becoming broken.
Designing each of our days according to what we are given and what it is we desire to acheive.
Only our focus can get is there.
Resources are also with team building and unity with community.
Always working hard and never giving up, no matter how long it may take. The finish line is what counts!
Remembering even when we get stuck, we are also on an adventure. There is always another route, another way. Have fun exploring along the way!

Through our challenges, we never lose sight of where that sliver of light gives us. We continue to enjoy, laugh, live, and reflect on every process. Always give yourself credit, for where you have earned much more than you realize. Self reflection is vital.

What is something you have done this year that you perhaps didn’t find time to do prior?
Go back to school, write a book, start a business, home project, more family time?

Our time is prescious and it is the value in our life that is needed to spend wisely. Take that time out for yourself and the amazing people around you! Thankful for it all.

Never lose hold of the peace and joy only you have at the end of the day! Whatever that brings, keep doing! Nothing is more liberating than this.

-A.M.W