Mission Statement

The Inspiration

    

Mrs. Johnson passed from congestive heart failure and Matthew, her youngest son, was by her side when she crossed over. As much as it hurts to lose your mom, this was the closure that he needed to move on. “I’d never thought I could even talk about my mother dying, nevertheless, thinking about it,” he confessed.

It was on a trip to Atlanta, three months later, that the idea of Girlfriends Health Guide was born. While there, he came across a similar magazine that he knew he could do better. He came up with the name on the plane ride back home. “What do women call each other that’s easy, that rolls off the tongue of every woman?” he asked. “Every woman calls her best friend her girlfriend.” And that’s how Girlfriends Health Guide was born, and it has been in existence for a little over a year now and shows no signs of stopping soon!

There’s been an overwhelming response so far. Women love it and the way that it has touched their lives. They’ve been able share their stories and bond with their sistas. They now know that all the hard work that they’ve done doesn’t go unappreciated and someone else is thinking of them. And what’s even better is that it’s the women themselves who tell their own stories. That’s what makes Girlfriends so unique. For the most part, all the women that are featured in Girlfriends Health Guide are everyday women, unlike other publications. With Girlfriends, it’s not about the celebrity woman, but the woman who works hard everyday and comes home and starts the second job of maintaining a household and taking care of her family. These women are famous in their own right amongst their kids, their husbands or significant others, and their families because they do the real work. “It is so important that I reach out to women because first of all, I love women. I love women to the point where I love my wife, I love my daughters, my sisters; and all that came from my mom,” said Matthew. “It takes a strong man to honor and love his woman, and for those guys out there who feel they’re giving up something, they just don’t understand that if the woman ain’t happy, they can’t be happy, and that’s just how it is.”

As the anniversary of his mother’s death approaches, as well as Mother’s Day, Matthew sees it as a celebration of his mother’s life. “I look at it as me celebrating her for what she’s accomplished, how she loved, and how her love still reigns amongst my brothers and sisters and my family, so her presence is still there,” he explained. He knows how important the blessing a mother is and he was blessed to know and understand that at a young age. “Your mom is a person, too. She has her mistakes, she has all the things that make her; but one thing she is; she’s still yo’ mama!” he laughed. “And as long as she’s yo’ mama, she should be celebrated!”

Ultimately, Mr. Johnson sees Girlfriends Health Guide for Women of Color being the ultimate source of women, especially women of color, getting information about their health and sharing it. When all is said and done Matthew wants the women of Girlfriends “to have an experience, whether it is reading the magazine, attending one of our events, or just getting to know herself.”

GIRLFRIENDS HEALTH GUIDE FOR WOMEN OF COLOR is slated to help women of color throughout the country and the world develop a healthy lifestyle regimen while taking time for themselves. Often, women take care of their husbands, children, pets, households and careers before they take time for themselves. This must stop!

The health guide has been formed by highlighting Women of Color between the ages of 30 and 50 and their health issues. Girlfriends will also feature columns by a variety of physicians who specialize in treating women, including professionals who specialize in women's health and articles about healthy cooking, nutrition, fitness and prevention. The guide will also cover issues that are not physical, such as finance, business, depression, stress reduction and other related topics.

In the US, women of color account for approximately one-third of all adult women. Yet, minority women continue to account for a disproportionate number of deaths related to a wide range of health problems-including lung cancer, breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, Type 2 Diabetes, and heart disease.

GIRLFRIENDS HEALTH GUIDE FOR WOMEN OF COLOR aims to inform and educate these women in a quick to read, pocket-size, glossy magazine. By educating these women, Girlfriends hopes to have a positive impact on the statistics for these diseases among women of color. By introducing healthy lifestyle concepts and giving tips on how to maintain the healthy lifestyle regimen the negative numbers can be reduced.

The proposed marketing solution for GIRLFRIENDS, A Health Guide For Women of Color is to support brands and companies which appeal to the target market. This marketing tool allows an atmosphere of promotion, free of clutter and competition. The publication has high reach potential throughout the country and globally. Its pass along rate is estimated to be two times that of conventional magazines.

Girlfriends Health Guide hears and exposes the successes and challenges of everyday women. GIRLFRIENDS will create a 250,000 strong network via the internet and events. GIRLFRIENDS members will be able to connect and find “exercises buddies”, “healthy lunch buddies,” and “spiritual buddies” to build a permanent bond of friendship; and that’s good for everyone!