An Inspiring Woman on a Mission: Linda Rhodes

Linda M. Rhodes, the Executive Director of The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency that serves women and girls in the Houston, Texas area is on a mission to educate, inform and empower women and young girls to be their own health advocates.

“We have a holistic approach to our program,” said Linda who’s led the organization since 2014. “we are not just talking nutrition, we’re not just talking physical fitness, we are talking emotional health, and we’re talking about healthy relationships.”

Since 1979, The Women’s Fund for Health Education & Resiliency has served women in Houston by funding research, providing community seminars and programs, and publishing free guides with medically sound health information.

Originally, its focus was on funding research grants for women’s health. Between 1980 and 2008, it provided nearly $1.4 million to 158 projects involving health research on cancer, lupus, heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, emotional wellness and more. During that time, the organization also wrote and published four books on womens’ and girls’ health, which were distributed throughout the Houston area free of charge.

Beginning in 2009, however, The Women’s Fund shifted its focus from research to health education and began providing programs aimed both at women and girls.

For women, there are free classes and programs conducted by recognized professionals and trained volunteers to promote preventive strategies and explore current health issues. The seminars are also available as webinars to increase access to the information.

To augment those services, The Women’s Fund provides on-site “Smart Lunch” programs to make it easier for women to learn more about their health. The lunches are led by local professionals and also offer a convenient place to ask questions regarding health issues. Additionally, there is a Women’s Health Advocacy Program directed specifically to women who are currently living in transitional situations. The courses help them build skills as well as providing health information to this particularly vulnerable population who might have multiple barriers to good health.

The Women’s Fund provides a free publication in both English and Spanish called What are the Facts? A Primer on Women’s Health, which gives a solid overview of what women need to know about their health. They also offer the How’s My Health? medical record keeping booklet and another publication called Which Weigh that talks about obesity and healthy nutrition. You can download these publications here.

Equally important is the organization’s focus on adolescent girls. With a community advisory board of health professionals and four teenaged groups, The Women’s Fund produced What About Me? A Girls’ Guide to Health, which covers more than forty topics for girls ages 11 to 14.

Some of the topics are very straightforward, practical information that concern health, like frequently asked questions about menstruation or how to read a nutrition label on food products. Some are far more philosophical. For example, the very first chapter is about body image, offering some excellent exercises to show young girls that they shouldn’t look to media or Hollywood to measure their own image of who they are.

“Today, it’s tough to be happy with yourself when everywhere you look you see picture-perfect models and movie stars smiling back at you,” the guide notes. “But let’s get one thing straight: These are not typical girls and women.”

The guide also offers information on relationships, substance abuse, specific illnesses, and dealing with stress, plus a glossary of health terms. Over the years, The Women’s Fund has leveraged this publication into a curriculum and workshops that are used in schools and at nonprofit organizations.

The Women’s Fund also offers a citywide essay contest to award scholarships for college bound seniors and the Scholarship Program for Young Women.

Through all of these programs, The Women’s Fund is reaching about 2,700 girls and 1,600 women every year. Even more impressive is that a whopping 90% of the people who participate in classes, workshops, lunches or other curricula provided by The Women’s Fund feel they could use the information they learn in their daily lives.

It is heartening to hear about a group that is having such an impact and encouraging women and girls to take the initiative, learn and establish those health habits that will prevent illness and promote fuller, more enriched lives.

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