Our mission is to end the HIV & Heart Disease epidemic
MISSION
Our nonprofit empowers and uplifts individuals and families affected by HIV and Heart disease through education, support services, and encouragement, fostering resilience in the face of these challenging illnesses.
Ending the epidemic and strengthening our community
VISION
The Respect Yourself Project seeks to create healthy resources by educating women, men, and kids from all walks of life about the constantly evolving state of these epidemics. We seek to reduce the HIV infection rate & heart disease diagnosis by facilitating events that focus on empowering individuals and communities
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Darren T. SMITH
Tangie Shepherd
Tangie Shepherd
CEO/President & Founder
Tangie Shepherd
Tangie Shepherd
Tangie Shepherd
Treasurer
Stephan P. Matthews
Tangie Shepherd
Kimberly Simmons
Secretary
Kimberly Simmons
Tangie Shepherd
Kimberly Simmons
Outreach Coordinator
KNOW THE FACTS
THE AFFECTS Heart disease
An estimated 80% of cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, are preventable. However, cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 killer and the most expensive disease, costly costing nearly $1 billion a day. While cardiovascular disease is largely preventable, it tops the disease burden list and this situation is expected to worsen according to recent projections showing that by 2035, 45% of the U.S. adult population will live with cardiovascular disease at an annual cost of more than $1 trillion. Yet effective Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evidence-based programs are not fully implemented due to limited congressional resources. Congress can help stem the effect of cardiovascular disease and make the U.S. a healthier place to live by ensuring that each state has sufficient resources to implement tailored programs to help prevent and control this costly, disabling, and deadly disease.
The Respect Yourself Project advocates for robust funding for our heart disease and Stroke Prevention Programs, including heart disease and stroke prevention health & fitness programs.
HIV STATSTICS
According to the CDC, about 90% of new HIV infections result from sexual activity.
That is why it is important to know your chances of getting HIV from different activities. Then you can make informed choices about protecting yourself.
What are we aiming to achieve?
- Increase HIV testing to reduce undiagnosed and late diagnoses
- Promotion of condom use as a safer sex strategy
- Promote other evidence-based safer sex and biomedical HIV prevention interventions
- Raise awareness of the role of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the context of HIV acquisition and transmission
- Reduce levels of HIV-related stigma within affected communities and more widely.