By: Jaury Georges Jean-Enard
What started as a distraction ended up being a dedication. In 2015, shortly after a relationship break up, Emmanuela “Manou” Fleurimont, 40, sought to forget her ex by traveling all the time and getting involved in all that came in her path. Her three best friends, Johanne, Marcelle and Emilda, were growing more concerned of her situation and wanted her to find some stability. Johanne, as a business owner, suggested that Manou opens up a business. Far from her wildest dreams, Manou thought this would be a stint of job that would come and go in the blink of an eye.
With the support of her friends and inspired by them, Manou opened up MJD Nutrition Club in that same year. The name is a deformed derivative of her friends’ initials. MJD provided nutritional and weight-management products to individuals, mainly through relationships. Although Manou wanted to study Political Science, her parents vehemently opposed. To please her parents she took the medical road and studied medicine in the DR before moving to Miami.
The initial success of the nutrition club led her to broaden her scope and provide such services to the entire community of Miami Dade. After MJD Nutrition Club, she opened MJD Wellness and Community Center. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place in November of 2020. MJD Wellness and Community Center provides services to families and people ages 16 and up. They have a medical center not far from City Hall of North Miami. In attendance for the ceremony was local health partner PharmCo Pharmacy and Florida Blue-Medicare and GBT Lab; and local elected officials such as the Vice Mayor, Dr. Alix Desulme, Miami-Dade County District 2 Commissioner Jean Monestime, and well-known entrepreneur Jean Patrick Maignan.
Manou’s work has been noticed and recognized by local government and media. The City of North Miami Beach also recognized her work in serving the community with various food drives and preventive health information. Last month, Haitian-American North Miami Beach Commissioner Paul Villard, presented her with a plaque for “her active involvement in the community, for unselfish commitment to making community better in health wellness and nutrition.” She also received several accolades and proclamation in the same vein.
The latest testament to her unwavering dedication and commitment to health and wellness took place this past Tuesday November 9, 2021. The City of North Miami with Mayor Philipe Bien Aimé presented Manou with the Extra Mile award for her relentless drive and efforts to serve her community and go the extra mile in lifting up fellow members of her community. On this day the City proclaimed November 1- Extra Mile Day – as Emmenuala Fleurimont Day.
“Nobody knows what you go through to make it happen. All the sacrifices made as an immigrant and to create a business. It’s a lot of sacrifices. I don’t sleep at night. I don’t party,” says Manou.
When she’s not helping her community, she is dancing salsa or meringue. She also enjoys reading.
Manou holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree. If she were not in the health and wellness field, she would revert to her love for being a TV and radio host in the Haitian and Latino community.
BACKGROUND ON EXTRA MILE DAY
The Extra Mile Day was started by The Extra Mile America Foundation in 2009. As a non-profit organization that promotes action and a positive attitude, it designated the day to encourage citizens from all walks of life to simply live a fulfilling, self-directed lifestyle that does not constrain their potential, and that enables them to at least go the extra mile to achieve what they have always wanted.
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Today, the day is recognized by more than 220 mayors in the United States and also involves celebrating organizations, institutions and individuals who put their best foot forward to ensure that others live a better life. In 2014, 527 cities in the U.S.A. declared November 1 “Extra Mile Day”! At an individual level, it is a day for soul-searching, shifting personal goals for the better, volunteerism and expressing gratitude to those who sacrifice their time and effort to go the extra mile for us.
It is a day dedicated to people having a positive influence on society and doing the best they can to make the world a better place for their own good and for others.