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HONORING PATRICK FORD AS IOWAN OF THE WEEK
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HON. CYNTHIA AXNE
of iowa
in the house of representatives
Friday, February 5, 2021
Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, I rise before the House to honor Mr. Patrick Ford, Doctor of Physical Therapy and CoFounder and President of Project Onyx. Patrick, who lives in Bondurant with his family, is an example of how an individual can turn their words of wanting to make the world a better place into concrete actions that improve the lives of those in our communities. Through the work of Project Onyx, Patrick and fellow co-founder, Mr. Elijah Muhammad, owner of Unorthodox Fitness, work to ``envision a community full of healthy, active individuals who have equal access to health and fitness services provided by diverse and culturally competent professionals'' and currently work with a group of 20 young men from around Central Iowa.
After the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, Patrick felt called to take action within his community. Reflecting on his own experiences as a biracial Black American, he wanted to work to create a world that would be more just for his daughter to grow up. In June of 2020, he approached Elijah with the idea to address underrepresentation and disparities in health outcomes for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and as a result, `Project Onyx' was created. He became determined to work toward increasing representation in the field of health and fitness and encouraging young BIPOC to enter or explore a career within the health field; having seen firsthand the racial disparities in access to healthcare, fitness, and wellness programs as a full-time physical therapist.
The goal for 2021 is to expand programming beyond the current location in Grimes and allow young people from across Central Iowa to access Project Onyx and double the current participation. In addition to health and wellness services, Patrick's vision for a youth empowerment program came to fruition as a program that blends a physical workout with conversations and dialogue about community issues. Project Onyx's mentorship program provides a launching pad for BIPOC youth who are interested in careers in health and wellness by giving them hands-on experience and career guidance. In the future the partners would like to work towards funding for scholarship opportunities and additional ways to reduce barriers towards a career in health, whether this be a certificate program or four-year degree.
Patrick is keenly aware of the importance of access to health and wellness programs and understands the negative impact of the absence of these programs in communities of color. Through Project Onyx, Patrick is using his education and experiences to help remedy this cultural inequity and serves as an example to all of us of how we can make a difference in our communities. Having never previously felt compelled to take action or be an activist he reevaluated his priorities and determined to make the world a better place for his daughter to live.
I commend Patrick for beginning to address the important work of breaking barriers and creating an avenue for BIPOC to be brought into the field of health and wellness. By providing this service to the community and expanding the reach of Project Onyx many young people from across Central Iowa will be given the opportunity to make our State more inclusive and result in better outcomes for all regardless of race. I thank Patrick, for his service in our community.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 22
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