December 11, 2019 – Antoinita “Annie” Ifill has been appointed to the position of project director, Healthier Glades, a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative focused on supporting the behavioral health and well-being of Glades residents. In her new role, Ifill will promote behavioral health by focusing on the strengths of the Glades residents through advocacy, education and awareness and community collaboration.
Ifill’s experience and dedication to the Glades community make her perfectly suited for the position. A graduate of Glades Central Community High School and Florida State University, she spent the last eighteen years as a social worker and an advocate for families in the Glades. As a social worker, she saw first-hand the challenges that Glades residents face and the impact that it has on families and the community at large.
Born to immigrant parents from Barbados, Ifill has spent much of her life dedicated to service. She was a Healthier Glades steering committee member and co-chair before becoming its project director and served on the marketing/community engagement committee that created the logo, mission, vision and tag line for Healthier Glades.
As one of Ifill’s first leadership opportunities in her new role, she hosted the first-ever Healthier Glades Mini-Grant Awards Celebration on November 21, 2019 at the Drawbridge Cafe where ten Glades residents and nonprofit agencies received grants from $2,500 to $3,000. Funding totaled $28,500 to support grassroots behavioral programs in the region, including a grant to an Afghanistan War veteran who is building a community garden to help residents with mental health issues. The veteran was encouraged to seek funding for his project because of the relief he found for his PTSD from gardening and the desire to share its positive effects with others.
“I have seen the talent and passion that the people of the Glades have for helping others of our community,” said Ifill. “With a little support like the Healthier Glades mini-grants, residents can finally have access to the resources they need to take their ideas from dream to fruition. I am excited to have the opportunity to help lead this innovative approach to grassroots solutions for behavioral health.”
Healthier Glades is funded by Palm Health Foundation as a Healthier Together community, a long-term, place-based funding approach designed to solve a community’s most complex healthcare issues, neighborhood by neighborhood. The foundation launched Healthier Together in 2013 and is committed to investing a collective $6 million in six Healthier Together communities over five years across Palm Beach County in Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, North West Palm Beach/Riviera Beach, Jupiter and the Glades.
“The potential for the Glades to advance behavioral health exists within the people who live there,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation. “Annie’s strong experience and relationships will help us identify and galvanize resident power to build a healthier community.”
About Palm Health Foundation
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $80 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.
