CEF: Community Empowerment Fund
Anna Seaman is currently serving as a Duke Wellness Intern at the Duke Student Health Center. Anna also holds the position of Young Adult Rare Representative at EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases. In addition, Anna is a Volunteer Birth Doula at Birth Partners - UNC Volunteer Doula Program and a BASS Connections AUBPT Researcher at Duke University School of Medicine. Anna is also actively involved in various advocacy and volunteer roles, such as being a Robertson Scholar and a member of National Scleroderma Foundation. Anna has a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is pursuing a degree in Global Health from Duke University.
CEF: Community Empowerment Fund
Founded in 2009, CEF provides person-centered support, financial education, and asset building tools to individuals experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Our approach combines person-centered support with financial services that pursue equity in order to reduce the racial wealth gap. CEF Members receive sustained one-on-one support from volunteer Advocates, trained in racial equity and trauma-informed care, to help achieve their chosen goals. Working with Advocates, Members secure housing, gain employment, and build savings in order to increase assets and sustain transitions out of poverty. CEF creates a community of support that empowers Members, offers experiential learning opportunities for Advocates to grow and learn, and advocacy and collaboration to address the systemic causes of homelessness and poverty. CEF’s work is grounded in recognition of the detrimental impacts of systemic racism on Black and Brown members of our communities. We leverage the combined resources of passion for sustaining transitions out of homelessness, dedicated volunteers, partners with shared values, and cross-spectrum collaborations to offer holistic support to each Member.