We Love Us: ESSENCE Teams Up with Master P, Community Leaders for Resource Fair and Youth Empowerment Experience. Activities include health and wellness screenings, basketball clinic and more
NEW ORLEANS — ESSENCE Communications, in partnership with Master P’s Team Hope Foundation, New Orleans-based nonprofit Operation Restoration, Black Heart Association, Bexa Equity Alliance and Dr. Jatali Bellanton are teaming up to host the “We Love Us” Community Day on Saturday, July 5 during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture® Presented by Coca-Cola®.
This all-day, multi-generational event takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena, where Master P serves as president of basketball operations and is affectionately known as “Coach P.” The Community Day is an official extension of ESSENCE Festival of Culture® Presented by Coca-Cola® programming, designed to uplift, empower and provide essential services to the broader New Orleans community, especially families unable to attend events at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center or Caesars Superdome.
Guests can expect the ultimate Health & Wealth Pavilion, featuring heart health and FREE non-invasive breast exams, dental and vision assessments, financial wellness workshops, mental health resources and more. This community resource fair and youth empowerment experience also features a basketball clinic, led by Coach P and other celebrity coaches, for up to 200 children. The event culminates with a block party featuring music, food, games and performances by surprise guests. New Orleans youth and families, as well as community members, local organizations and ESSENCE Festival Culture® Presented by Coca-Cola® attendees seeking purposeful engagement are invited and encouraged to attend.
“In New Orleans, culture, community and commerce come alive like nowhere else,” said Varsay Sirleaf, ESSENCE’s senior director of community and global engagement. “Our goal with this inaugural Community Day activation is to give back to a city that has given so much to us. By creating a culturally rich, high-impact day of service rooted in wellness, empowerment and community joy, we are not only amplifying ESSENCE’s social mission but also demonstrating the true meaning of loving and taking care of one another.”
“For over 20 years, we have been dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the New Orleans community,” said Percy ‘Coach P’ Miller, founder of the Team Hope Foundation. “We are thankful for the opportunity to combine our community-driven work with ESSENCE’s community-centered values to provide even more resources and spread more much-needed hope to our people during one of the largest festivals in the city.”
“Our work is rooted in supporting and empowering women, making this partnership even more impactful and meaningful,” said Syrita Steib, founder, president and CEO of Operation Restoration. “Together, with the help of ESSENCE, Coach P’s Team Hope Foundation, Black Heart Association, Bexa Equity Alliance and Dr. Jatali Bellanton, we are being intentional about how we engage and show love to our community – providing new opportunities to give back and create lasting change.”