Black History Month at JABA

Every Black History Month, we take time to reflect on the people and stories that helped shape who we are today. For us, that includes honoring two remarkable women whose names were given to our Community Centers in Charlottesville and Nelson County. Their lives remind us how local Black history continues to guide and inspire our work.

Mary Williams

Mary Williams as a young woman.

The Mary Williams Community Center in Charlottesville is named after Mary Williams. She grew up in Charlottesville with the dream of becoming a nurse. But because she was Black, she wasn’t allowed to attend nursing school in the city. She had to leave home to earn her degree, and even when she returned as a trained nurse, she still couldn’t find a job in the city. Still, she built a successful career elsewhere and returned to Charlottesville to retire. Only then to discover that many older adults, especially Black older adults, had no safe or welcoming place to gather. The senior center at the Jefferson School was in such poor condition that the Health Department was close to shutting it down.

Mary didn’t stay silent. She joined others in organizing a protest and brought their concerns straight to the City Council. “I had to leave once to get an education, and again to find work,” she said, “but don’t tell me I have to leave my own town again just to go to a senior center.” Her courage helped spark real change.

In 2011, her granddaughter, Michele Gibson, stood with us as we named the center in Mary’s honor. Today, the center is located at JABA’s main offices on Hillsdale Drive. Here, members still carry forward her spirit of strength and community.

Cecilia Epps

Cecilia Epps.

Cecilia Epps Community Center in Nelson County is named after Cecilia Epps. She spent 38 years working with JABA as an Aging Service Coordinator and Case Manager. In many ways, she was JABA for Nelson County, someone who knew every program, every family, and every need. When she retired, a gym full of people came out to thank her. She also shared her story with the Nelson County African American Oral History Project, describing how she and her husband fought for better schools and helped integrate the county’s education system. Born in 1926, she grew up on a small farm her father bought from a former slave‑owning family. She later built a home of her own and raised six children. Her life was truly remarkable.

The Yancey School & Esmont

In the years after the Civil War, many Black families in Esmont stayed, bought land, opened businesses, and worked together to build a strong, self-sustaining community. Times were hard, and poverty was common, but people supported each other in ways that kept the community resilient.

Black parents, teachers, and leaders even had to take legal action to secure land for a local school. These efforts eventually led to the opening of Esmont High School in 1904. Later, Benjamin F. Yancey Elementary School was established in 1960. When the Albemarle County School Board closed Yancey in 2017, it became the first time in more than a century that Esmont did not have a school. The building was later transformed into a community center and became home to JABA’s Southern Albemarle Community Center. Quickly, members began preserving the memories of the close African American community that shaped Esmont for generations.

In 2024, members created a hand-drawn map of Porters Road from memory. They listed the churches, schools, stores, garages, beauty salons, and gathering places that once lined the road: Thomas Store, Feggans Barber Shop, Esmont Hotel, Cozy Corner, Paige’s Garage, the Cary Sawmill, and more. As one member, Karl Bolden, said, “This one road supported itself. If somebody needed help, somebody helped them. We all supported each other.”

Today, members say Esmont doesn’t feel as close as it once did. New people are moving in without knowing the area’s history, and many who remember the old days are now older adults. Still, as a member and educator, Graham Paige reminds us, “This is a thriving community with a rich history.” He hopes the Yancey Community Center will help protect that legacy and keep it alive for future generations.

Burley High School & Vinegar Hill

Members of the Mary Williams Center also share memories of Jackson P. Burley High School, the segregated school many of them attended. Jackson P. Burley, a respected educator and businessman, sold 17 acres of his own land so the school could be built. It opened in 1951 and graduated its last class in 1967, eight years after integration began. The school later became a middle school. Members often recall the famous Burley Band that lit up local parades and the undefeated 1956 Burley Bears football team, featured in the documentary Color Line of Scrimmage by filmmaker Lorenzo Dickerson. They also remember the Monument Wall added in 2018 to honor that history.

Years ago, members watched another of Dickerson’s films, Raised/Razed, about the vibrant Black neighborhood of Vinegar Hill and how it was destroyed in 1964 because of Urban Renewal policy. Members continue to share their memories of that time, helping keep those stories alive for all of us.

How Kindness Impacts Your Health

February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day. It is a day to celebrate exactly what the name suggests, doing random acts of kindness for others. But did you know kindness is more than something that makes others feel good? Research suggests that having compassion and showing kindness to others can greatly benefit your own health outcomes.

Co-Director of the Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Tyler VanderWeele, says, "There's compelling evidence that kindness is linked with a number of aspects of health and well-being. Some studies have indicated it can improve happiness and a sense of engagement with life, reduce symptoms of anxiety, and increase a sense of social connectedness."

The American Psychological Association defines kindness as a “benevolent and helpful action intentionally directed toward another person. Kindness is often considered to be motivated by the desire to help another, not to gain explicit reward or to avoid explicit punishment.” Basically, kindness is the act of doing something good for others without expecting anything in return.

Both kindness towards others and kindness towards yourself have great benefits to your health and well-being. Here are some of the ways being kind could impact your health.

Reduce Stress

Acts of kindness can help lower stress levels. This happens because when we help others, our body releases oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. This can counteract the effect of stress hormones, like cortisol. An American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine article from 2021 found that kindness promotes generosity, connection with others, and inclusion. All of these can improve your resilience to stress. Kindness will not remove all stressors in life, but regularly practicing kindness can improve our ability to cope with stress.

Improve Relationships

Kindness fosters better relationships, builds trust, and strengthens our bonds with others. This leads to more meaningful and deeper connections. Many researchers agree that social connections can help people live longer, healthier lives, and in turn, loneliness can lead to many negative health outcomes. Being disconnected from others socially is associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression, and dementia. Strong connections with others, however, have the opposite effect. A 2015 study from the National Library of Medicine showed that social connection can help people manage blood sugar, improve cancer survival, decrease depression symptoms, and improve overall mental health.

Improve Mental Health

Beyond improving your mental health by building relationships and reducing stress, kindness towards others and yourself can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. When directing our kindness towards ourself we create positive mental attitudes which allow us to better cope with our mental health. Regular acts of kindness that focus attention on others' needs helps us from falling into thought spirals of our own worries.  Additionally, kindness can provide a mental break and give us a sense of purpose. The warm feeling you get in your stomach when you do something good for someone else is more than a fleeting emotion. It is a sign of dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters in charge of carrying messages between nerve cells and the brain that regulates bodily functions like emotional well-being.

Improve Physical Health

As previously discussed, kindness can have positive effects on physical health as well. One 2016 study from Social Science & Medicine tracked more than 7,000 adults and found that those who volunteer are more likely to get preventative health care, like yearly check-ups, immunizations, and screenings. The study also found that those who frequently volunteer spend less time in the hospital. Another study from The National Library of Medicine suggests that since kindness can decrease cortisol levels, it can also decrease the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and help maintain blood sugar in diabetics.

Tips for Being Kind

Kindness is a learned skill, although some people may be more naturally inclined to it. For those of us who may not have that natural drive, it is possible to change our mindset. Performing acts of kindness, even if it doesn’t come easily, can slowly become more natural for you. If you need help, here are some tips:

• Start small. Do something small every day that could make someone’s day a bit brighter. Smile at a stranger, hold open the door, offer a compliment.

• Be mindful of those around you. This allows you to recognize opportunities to help others.

• Practice gratitude for yourself and others.

• Volunteer for a cause you care about. JABA has many volunteer opportunities for individuals of all skills.

• Try random acts of kindness, like paying for the order of the person behind you, leaving a bigger tip for a service worker, or leaving a note with a positive affirmation in a public restroom.

Kindness doesn’t have to be grand gestures to be impactful. Finding a way to include kindness in your daily life can benefit you and those around you in large ways. Random Acts of Kindness Day is a wonderful reminder to celebrate these gestures, but kindness doesn’t need a holiday. Every day brings opportunities to reduce stress, strengthen relationships, and support physical and mental well-being. By making kindness a regular practice, we nurture healthier communities and healthier selves. Look for simple ways to brighten someone’s world. You may be surprised by just how much it brightens yours, too.

 Ty Mynes is a Communications Specialist and writer at JABA.

6 Ways to Stick to Your Goals

It’s the time of the year when many of us set New Year's goals. January 1 feels like starting a new chapter, which makes it the perfect time to want to change our lives by starting new practices or getting rid of bad habits. However, sticking to your goal isn’t as easy as coming up with it.

Research shows very few people actually complete their intended goal set for the new year. A 2023 study from Forbes Health shows less than 10% of all people who make a New Year’s goal actually stick to it throughout the year, most giving up around April. However, a 2020 survey from the PLOS One Journal found that 55% of participants felt they were successful in keeping their intentions. In this study, researchers found people were more successful at keeping approach-oriented goals that focus on gaining something rather than avoidance-oriented ones, which are based on avoiding something.

What is important is making goals that are actionable and achievable, that are focused on growth rather than avoidance. “Change is hard. We are creatures of habit. Unless you are very motivated, have good social support, and have the right environment, it is difficult to make lasting behavior changes,” says June Kloubec, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology at Seattle University.

1.            Set SMART Goals

The first step is to create a goal that is realistic based on your needs and lifestyle. This is where SMART goals become useful. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based. These goals are typically used by workplaces and fitness professionals to help employees and clients set doable goals. They work because they are concrete and easy to track. When goal setting, focus on this structure to give yourself the best chance possible at completing your goals. 

2.            Start Small

Taking on too much at once is a common reason people fail to keep their intended goals to the finish line. If you try to go from never working out to spending hours in the gym every day, you will quickly burn out. Focus on taking small steps like going to the gym once a week or working out at home for 10 minutes every day. It may seem like you are making no progress; however, as self-help author James Clear says, “if you can get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.”

3.            Write Goals Down

When you write down your goals, you may feel a greater sense of accountability. Write down your goals in a place easy for you to find, like on your bathroom mirror or a journal. Journaling can also be a great way to track your progress and learn patterns that are helping or hurting your goals. It may also help to share your goals with those around you for added accountability.

4.            Check in With Yourself

It is important to review your goals throughout the year. Once you start making changes, you may find your original goal is unrealistic. Maybe there are changes in your life that make your goals too difficult to accomplish. If you realize your goal is not going to be possible, tweak it as needed until it fits your life and wants again. Every month, check in with yourself to make sure your goals are still working for you.

5.            Give Yourself Grace

It is not uncommon to lose motivation throughout the process of completing your goals. Especially when you run into obstacles or unexpected challenges. During these times, be patient with yourself. Powering through when you are struggling will not help you achieve your goals. If anything, it will make you more likely to give up altogether. Instead, focus on learning from what went wrong and adapting for the future.

6.            Celebrate Small Wins

If you only focus on the end goal, it can be easy to get discouraged when it seems like no progress is being made. It is important that you celebrate the small wins along the way. As you are making progress on your goal, it is helpful to set targets during the process, and celebrate reaching them.  If your goal is to run a marathon at the end of the year, treat yourself to something fun after each run. Maybe you get yourself a pastry from your favorite café, or take a nice bath, however you do it, celebrate the little victories so you can keep your eyes on the end-goal.

The tradition of New Year's goal setting doesn’t have to end in disappointment come December. Sometimes it can be as easy as choosing the right goal and the process you use to achieve it. Remember to be kind to yourself and flexible with your approach. The important part is not the end-goal, but the journey we take to get there.

Ty Mynes is a Communications Specialist and writer at JABA.

8 Tips for Spending the Holidays Alone

The holidays can seem like a time full of love, connection, and joy with those we are close to. The reality is that for many, this holiday season will be spent alone. Whether kids have moved away, a partner has recently been lost, or it is simply a personal choice, there are many reasons many of us spend the holidays away from those we love. Whatever the reason, there are many ways to manage being alone this holiday.

It is normal to feel lonely or sad for the holidays, especially if being alone is a new experience or you are navigating grief, “Not having people to spend the days with can compound any existing loneliness and worsen it during the holiday times,” said Diana Winston, director of UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center at UCLA Health. That doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to lift some of those heavy feelings off your shoulders and explore ways to make the holidays easier.

1.    Reframe Expectations

First, reframe your expectations. The media often shows us what the perfect holiday looks like. This can make it easy to feel like you aren’t doing it right when you are spending the holidays alone. But there is no ‘right’ way to experience the holiday season. Looking at the holidays in a different way may help remove some of the pressure. Instead of focusing on how things should go, focus on how it will go.

2.     Enjoy Solo Activities

If you enjoy festive activities, think of ways to get in the holiday spirit by yourself. Listen to festive music, watch your favorite holiday film, and enjoy the traditions you can.

However, it is okay if that is not what you want. Instead, think of the holidays as a few days to practice self-care (insert self-care article link), or find new traditions. The holidays can be what you want them to be. You could have a solo movie marathon of your favorite non-holiday-themed movies, create tributes to those who have passed, learn a new skill, do puzzles, or read books. A new tradition can be anything that brings you joy when you are feeling low.

3.     Focus on Gratitude

Giving thanks and expressing gratitude can help you focus on the positives and help your mental health this season. Research from the National Library of Medicine suggests practicing gratitude can help with feelings of loneliness as you focus on the good things in life rather than getting stuck in the bad. A gratitude journal can be an easy way to start this practice. Every day, take the time to write down a few things you are grateful for, whatever that may be.

4.     Give Your Time

Volunteering has also proven to have a positive effect on your health. The holiday season has many opportunities to give back to your community and find connection. This could include a holiday gift drive, donating to your local food pantry, and so much more. Reach out to local nonprofits, like JABA, and find out the best ways you can support your community throughout the season and into the new year.

5.     Create Connection

Seeking connection can be another way to make it through a lonely holiday season. It is easy to fall into habits of self-isolation when we are not feeling happy. However, 2018 research from the National Library of Medicine suggests this can have negative effects on our health. Connection doesn’t have to be sitting around a table together eating. Instead, it could be calling up an old friend, attending a local event, or video calling family who lives far away.

6.     Treat Yourself!

It is also important to treat yourself this holiday season. It is the time of giving, and that can include giving to yourself. It could mean buying yourself a gift, traveling somewhere you’ve always wanted to go, or enjoying your favorite dessert. It could also simply be self-care or an experience that brings you joy. Any way of treating yourself that brings you peace and joy can help lift your mood.

7.     Honor Your Feelings

Feel your feelings. It is okay to not be happy every moment of the day. Accept that you will have some difficult feelings throughout the holiday and hold space for them. Allowing yourself to fully feel your emotions is one of the best ways to heal from those bad days. Consider journaling, creating an art project, or listening to music that gives space to your feelings.

8.     Get Support

If you are having a difficult time coping throughout the holidays, or notice you are feeling sad or lonely more often, it is okay to ask for help. Reach out to a professional and talk about how you are feeling. Conditions like Seasonal Affective Disorder affect millions every year. A doctor or mental health professional may have resources or strategies that can help you cope and get through the colder months.

While there are many reasons why you may be alone during the holiday season, you do not have to spend the season lonely. Reframing expectations, finding connection in new places, and treating yourself can all help you make it through the season. More than anything, treat yourself with gratitude and remember the holidays don't last forever.

 Ty Mynes is a Writer and Communications Specialist at JABA.

How Optimism Can Help You Live Better, Longer

You have probably heard the phrase “looking at the glass half-full” regarding how you respond during hardships, but did you know this saying can also be applied to your health? While many think that proper nutrition and regular exercise are all you need for a long, healthy life, current research suggests that a positive outlook can be just as significant.

May is Older Americans Month, a time to recognize the contributions of older adults and focus on their well-being so they can live long, healthy lives. This month encourages older adults to stay active, engaged, and connected, emphasizing the benefits of a positive outlook on life. This year’s theme, “Flip the Script”, reminds us we can embrace our future and age how we choose to. Flipping the script on a negative mindset and owning how we age has many positive benefits, leading to a longer and healthier life.

A Harvard study found that people who are more optimistic tend to live longer than those who are pessimistic. They also had a greater chance of living past 85. Researchers analyzed data from 70,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study over eight years. Overall, high levels of optimism were associated with a longer life span. The study controlled for factors such as chronic physical conditions like high cholesterol, and health behaviors like smoking. Although the study focused on women, researchers involved say the same findings can probably be applied to men.

Dr. Eric Kim, one of the researchers from the study, said, "When comparing the most optimistic to the least optimistic women, people had a reduced risk of dying from cancer, infection, stroke, heart disease, and lung disease. It seems to have the most effect on cardiovascular outcomes and the smallest effect on cancer outcomes."

An older study from 2002 found older adults who had more positive outlooks on aging lived on average 7.5 years longer than those with less positive outlooks.

So why do optimists tend to live longer? The truth is, researchers still aren’t positive.

Dr. Kim believes people who are more optimistic tend to have healthier habits and behaviors, but his study also shows that optimists tend to live longer even when factors like regular exercise, tobacco use, and nutrition are included.

Some researchers suggest positive thinking can reduce stress, which in turn reduces the risk for heart disease and diabetes due to low cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, levels. Others believe being optimistic is potentially genetic and there is something deeper within our genes that cannot yet be studied.

It is, however, important to understand that optimism can’t control everything. People have diseases for all types of reasons, most out of their control, and no amount of optimism can change that.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to try and see the bright side. Whether you are naturally optimistic or not, there are steps you can take to try and change your perspective.

First, reframe situations; when dealing with a difficult situation, try to look for the positives. Is there anything you can learn from this? Anything you can do differently next time?

Next, set goals that are specific and realistic every day. Instead of giving yourself a big project like fixing up the yard, start small and find tasks you plan to get done, like mowing or weeding the garden. Research shows setting goals and having the confidence to achieve these goals is linked to optimism. Setting smaller, more specific goals gives you a higher chance of completing those goals.

Strengthening social relationships is also a great way to be more optimistic. Having a strong social network is directly related to positive thinking. Humans are social creatures and need to have a community around us. Try joining new groups and clubs, or schedule time to see friends and family regularly. If you are over 60, try a JABA Community Center to make new friends and keep your community large and supportive.

Finally, therapists recommend practicing smiling to combat sad moods. Smiling can trick your brain into believing you are happy, which can then cause actual feelings of happiness. Multiple studies have shown smiling can help reduce the body’s response to stress, and lower heart rate and blood pressure, all of which can lead to longevity.

While it is not always easy to put a smile on your face and move forward when you experience challenges, there are many steps you can try to flip the script and take control of your mental health to see things from a more positive outlook. The most important thing is to remember to be kind to yourself and take things one day at a time. It could add years to your life.

Ty Mynes is a writer and marketing specialist at JABA. 

National Healthcare Decisions Day

As a culture, we have an aversion to talking about death. We want to avoid conversations about the end, thinking when we speak about death, we invite it into our lives. However, life is unexpected, illness and accidents can happen at any time. Avoiding the topic can only cause more problems, especially when it comes to your healthcare wishes.

Dr. Ira Byock, a leader in end-of-life care said, "I have an Advance Directive not because I have a serious illness but because I have a family.” If you are no longer able to make those choices, would your family know your wishes? ”By discussing our wishes for what happens as we approach the end of life, we can drastically increase the chances that our dying will actually play out as we hope,” said Byock.

An Advance Directive is a set of legal documents that tell your healthcare provider and family members what your wishes are if you become unable to do so. They empower a person to have their wishes honored in the event they can no longer speak for themselves. These documents include, but are not limited to living wills, health care power of attorney, do-not-resuscitate orders, and orders for life-saving treatment.

According to research in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, having an Advance Directive is linked to higher rates of palliative care, reduced stress towards the end of life, improved communication between healthcare professionals and a patient's family, reduced healthcare costs, and lower rates of depression among families after a loved one’s death.

If starting an Advance Directive is something you have put off doing, here are some steps to help you get started. First, reflect on your values and wishes to decide what is important to you at the end of life.

Next, pick someone you trust to either make decisions for you or to make sure your wishes are honored as your healthcare proxy. This can be a family member, a loved one, or a lawyer. Talk to them about your values and what you want. These conversations can be hard to start, but it doesn’t have to be, it can be as easy as, “I was reading an article about advance care planning. We should talk about what our wishes are.”

Then, go to your doctor. Advance Care Planning is covered under Medicare as part of your yearly wellness visit. Talking to your health provider can give you insight into what decisions may come up based on your own health.

Complete your advance directive forms to make the process official. In Virginia, Advance Directives do not need to be notarized, and they don’t need to be written on specific forms, however using a pre-made form can make the process easier. All you are required for an AD in Virginia is your written care requests in your own words, signed by yourself and two witnesses.  Each state has its own rules about Advance Directives. Share these forms with your healthcare proxy, doctors, and loved ones.

Finally, keep the conversation going. It is recommended you update your forms at least once a year or after a major life change like marriage, divorce, or new health diagnosis. Note the date the older copy was replaced by a new one and make sure the new copy is sent to everyone who had the old one.

While discussing and planning for the end of life can be uncomfortable, it is an important step in ensuringhdd our wishes are respected and helping our loved ones avoid making those difficult decisions on their own. Creating an Advance Directive can help you take control of your healthcare decisions, reduce stress for your family, and improve communication with healthcare providers. Taking the time to reflect on our values, communicate our wishes, and formalize them through legal documents is a proactive approach to facing the inevitable with dignity and clarity.

Ty Mynes is a writer and marketing specialist at JABA.