Community Fitness Today Inc

Community Fitness Today, Inc. wants you to help us keep our community a healthy community!

Our organization focuses on HIV education and prevention, advocacy and support services for individuals who are HIV positive. Our Twin Cities African American Church HIV/AIDS Prevention Project is one of the programs we use to reach churches through HIV prevention workshops and presentations. There is no location off limits when it comes to doing HIV prevention workshops; such as prisons, chemical dependency treatment facilities, individual homes, community centers, schools, etc. Our aerobics program highlights the need for education and prevention of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, weight loss, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. CFT provides hard-to-find culturally appropriate services and programs that are rooted in history, heritage and culture. For example, African American women are able to socially identify with fitness instructors and other participants from their own community, and HIV instructors are individuals who are a part of a church as well as members from the target community. The mission of Community Fitness Today is to improve the health status of minorities through education, fitness, and prevention programs. Our goal is to address underlying causes of health risks through culturally specific programs that will modify behaviors and educate people to make healthy lifestyle choices. We are community minded, community located and ready to serve our community. Current Programs: The Twin Cities African American Church HIV Prevention Project. This HIV/AIDS Prevention Program is conducted through a collaborative model with African American Churches. Community Fitness Today conducts outreach programs in 20 churches throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, presents HIV prevention workshops, and provides customized support services to community members living with HIV/AIDS. Our annual “Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS” ( A Balm in Gilead national event www.balmingilead.org) plays a large rule in reaching African American church congregations. We provide Care Advocacy for persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS who are not receiving case management but need short term provision of advice and assistance in obtaining medical, housing, nutritional, social, community, legal, financial and other needed services. We collaborate with Macedonia Baptist for the Dwight Henry McWilliams (DHM) Emotional Support Group for males infected with HIV/AIDS who come together monthly to share their experience of living with the disease. This group consists of guest speakers, discussion topics such as medication adherence, HIV/AIDS education, risk reduction, and mental health issues. Sistas Healing Sistas Support Group one of the longest functioning monthly support groups in the Twin Cities for HIV positive African American women. This group consists of guest speakers, discussing topics on HIV/AIDS education, risk reduction, and women’s physical and mental health. Spiritual Counseling for persons and families infected/affected by HIV/AIDS. Community Fitness Today is the fiscal agent and a collaborating part of the Minnesota African/African American HIV/AIDS Initiative which consist of 10 other organizations that join together two times per year for our World AIDS Day event, and our annual tea. 

For more information about our organization please contact me at 612-824-8610.

Shirley Marie Graham, Executive Director