Verna Laboy on Clubhouse

Bio

Verna Laboy is Health Educator with Columbia/Boone Co Public Health & Human Services, overseeing the National, State & Local award winning Public Health initiative, Live Well by Faith. This initiative addresses health disparities (hypertension/diabetes) in the Black community through the Black Church setting. She comes to the Public Health arena from a grassroots organizing background in the first ward Columbia community for well over 25 years. She has birthed several ministries from her home "Ladies Night Out @ Worley St Manor" where she opened her home weekly, every Thursday evening to broken women who received elegant home cooked meals and monthly diaper and wipes baby showers for expectant mothers, Smithton Valley Neighborhood Association, Worley St Project, Worley St Park Neighborhood Association, to fight crime and stabilize a crime ridden neighborhood and beautification initiatives for her community. She is known as a community activist and a voice for the people. She has received several community leadership awards as a Columbia Community Champion: Liz Schmidt Award from the League of Women Voters, Martin Luther King Award, Stephens College, Black Women Rock Award, Fun City Community Champion Award, and serves on The Board of Directors for FACE (Family Access Center for Excellence), Community Foundation Central MO, Founder & past board member of Worley Street Roundtable, an educational nonprofit organization supporting our public school in growing our own brown teacher stock. "Miz Verna" M-Motivated, I-Inspired, Z-Zealous was born to make a positive difference in the lives of others.