Meet The Team
Healing Communities One Person At A Time
Akeeylah Watkins
Community Engagement Manager
Akeeyla L. Watkins was born on Chicago’s south side. When Akeeylah was six months old her mother moved them to Minnesota with prayers of a better life. Akeeylah has been performing since the age of five; she was enrolled in St. Joseph’s school of music for voice lessons. She also performed in city songs two years in a row where she got a chance to sing on two CD’s. Akeeylah was on a dance and step team at the age of six where she performed at Rondo Days and traveled to Iowa and Oklahoma to compete.
In January of 2000 Akeeylah helped with the family daycare A Mother’s Touch where she helped with the younger children. In June of 2005 Akeeylah completed a babysitting training for the Red Cross, where she learned how to change diapers, prepare bottles, and infant and adult first aid and CPR. In 2006 Akeeylah obtained a part time childcare position with the Cultural Wellness Center. In 2009 Akeeylah started her own business Akeeylah and the Kids child care where she cared for several families in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
In 2009 Akeeylah became a part of Ujima a teen pregnancy prevention program where she learned about leadership, healthy relationships, resume writing, and interview skills, sex and sexuality, excreta. In 2010 Akeeylah began working for the Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center on the Climate Change Crew where she learned about the environment, how to garden, facilitate small and large groups, and table at events. In 2015 she became an education interned position where she learned how to create curriculum, and learned how to teach children about science at afterschool programs and freedom school.In 2009
Akeeylah received a leadership award from her school Minnesota Internship Center (MNIC). She won 3 youth leadership awards in 2012 one from Loving Spirit Life Coach Academy, Leap Forward, and the Red Wagon youth award. In 2013 she graduated from Gordon Parks and gave the graduation speech.
Akeeylah continues to follow her path of making the world a better place through her art, knowledge, and love of community. Akeeylah worked as a Personal Care Attended (PCA) for a child with special needs. This past summer she also worked for the Story Mobile collecting stories at different events. She currently attends Saint Paul College where she will obtain her associates degree and transfer to Clark Atlanta where she will obtain a degree in social work to help young people out of sex trafficking.
Akeeylah’s Duties
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Responsible for the implementation and evaluation of Loving Spirit Holistic Services LLC
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Engage Communities with multiple barriers
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Facilitate community conversations
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Plan events
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Prepare healthy meals
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Create curriculum
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Promote and sell Holistic Healing Movement Products
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Identify, initiate, and deepen relationships with various community stakeholders; Implement meetings, surveys, and other ways for communicating with, and receiving feedback from, the community about the Loving Spirit and its initiatives
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Attend community meetings on behalf of Loving Spirit to hear community concerns, provide information about community engagement, and advocate for participation
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Attend other community programs and events relevant to better understand community interests and activities that are in our communities
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Maintain various databases of groups of stakeholders;
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Create mechanisms for internal and external evaluation of engagement initiatives
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Distribute information to the community and broader publics through multiple channel
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Help prepare food for Loving Spirit
Raola Watkins was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, she is the youngest of three children of Dorothy and Robert Watkins. Ever since the age of 8 Raola always had a passion and the calling to take care of children. She has been watching over children for over 50 years and has taken care
of over 400 children. She has been an important part of each one of their development. Raola also has a passion for cooking, cleaning, styling hair
and nurturing the people around her.
Raola is a single mother of 2 adult children and the grandmother of 7 granddaughters. She moved to Minneapolis in 1990 to protect her son from gang activity. She worked at McDonald's to provide for son and shortly after she became a house keeper for Abbott Northwestern Hospital. In 1996 Raola moved across the river to Saint Paul where she has resided in Midway, North End, and Frogtown communities. Raola is heavily involved in her community and has worked and volunteered for many community events. Raola has a warm and welcoming demeanor and has never met a stranger these qualities she possesses helps her navigate the day to day challenges of life.
Raola’s Duties
- Oversees Daily Operations of Loving Spirit
- Maintain the office condition
- Manage office G&A budget, ensure accurate and timely reporting
- Provide general support to customers
- Assists with the selling of The Holistic Healing Movement products
- Assists with plans in-house or off-site activities, like parties, celebrations and conferences
- Greet visitors
- Assists with catering
- Assists with events
- Help prepare food for Loving Spirit
