Grand Rapids African American Health Institute
The Grand Rapids African American Health Institute (GRAAHI) is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is funded by numerous entities that are equally committed to promoting health care parity in the Grand Rapids African American community through advocacy, education and research to achieve positive health outcomes.
Tony Jolliffi, Strong Fathers Coordinator, originates from Detroit, Michigan where he attended Detroit College of Business. From there, Tony became a self-motivated entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience starting and cultivating businesses and ideas. After settling into Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2009, Tony worked for the Grand Rapids Public Schools system, where he experienced first-hand the need for positive male figures in children’s lives.
In 2012, Tony joined the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute in the capacity of Fatherhood Initiative Coordinator of “Strong Fathers” for the Strong Beginnings Program where he successfully established Home Visiting for Fathers, created “Dad Talk” and “Barbershop Talk” two very successful practice-based programs and co-founded a Flag Football Tournament for Fathers. In 2015, the Strong Fathers Initiative serviced over 1,150 fathers and families through its programs including its partnership with the Kent County Friend of Court, where he co-developed the “HOPE Clinic” to reduce the number of bench warrants and show cause hearings for non-custodial parents. Tony is a graduate of Word of Faith Layman’s Ministry Training Center and the Urban Core Collective Leadership Training Program. In 2013, he was certified by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as a Health Equity Practitioner. Most recently, Tony became a certified Community Health Worker and was elected to Vice-Chair of the Kent County Friend of Court Advisory Committee.
www.graahi.org/Advocacy/Strong-Fathers | (616) 331-5838