We’re revealing the winning design of our Lake County Asthma Van decal design contest next week! Our three finalists are all incredible designers from both Chicago and Lake County areas! Today meet Melissa Gutierrez and her brand No Bad Fruit!
Tell us about yourself: who are you, what do you do!
My name is Melissa Gutierrez, I am the owner and creator of NoBadFruit. NoBadFruit is my art brand that focuses on food waste. Through digital art, merchandise, lifestyle products, and special events, I hope to spread awareness and educate individuals on food waste, locally and globally. My art is colorful, bright, cartoony and includes a lot of humor and scenes that viewers can relate to. If I can inspire people to reduce the amount of food they waste, we can limit the amount of hunger, and improve the environment. I want to inspire change, teach the importance of food & resources, promote a better eating lifestyle and create a movement that’ll make the earth a mindful, kinder healthier and sustainable place.
How did you learn about Mobile Care Chicago? What parts of MCC resonate with you the most?
I heard about Mobile Care Chicago actually from my friend Pablo with PabsPrints! He designed a tee shirt for you guys not too long ago. I checked you guys out and followed right away. I found that MCC resonated with me because it made me think of my brothers. Both my older and younger brothers have asthma and I just remember how difficult it was for them to play sports consistently.
What inspired your decal design?
My decal design was inspired by fresh air and the phrase “grow with the flow.” I wanted to connect to asthma in a way that wasn’t too obvious but more subtle. When I think of asthma, I think about the ability to breathe and enjoy the air (both indoors or outdoors) and so I put my characters doing a variety of things in the sky. I also wanted to use a lot of bright colors and keep my design simple for the kiddos. I hope this design brings joy, excitement and fun to all the viewers
What is your favorite Chicago neighborhood and why?
Hmmm, thats a hard one. Lol I’m originally from California and have loved Chicago since I moved out here. I would say Wicker Park, Fulton Market, Pilsen and Logan Square. There’s just so much art, culture and personality in these spots, I’ve enjoyed a lot of cool events and shows in these areas, so definitely my top choices.
Favorite Chicago spots?
I like going to Punch Bowl Social, ChinaTown, or the TimeOut Market.
As an artist/designer, where have you been finding inspiration lately? Are there any artists we should check out
Inspiration for me usually comes from music, food and the water (lake or beach) but lately I feel like memories have been my inspiration. Thinking a lot about why I liked things as a kid and what really attracted me. Even just personal experiences and places I’ve been. I like to be playful but also relatable in my art, so my own mind definitely holds a lot of that! For artists to check out, definitely @daremelife_ , @yueskeyluna and @megmakesstainedglass on Instagram!
What are you working on now? Where can we find your work/socials?
And Im currently working on another product drop, another figurine design and upcoming shows! I will have a piece at the Blnk Gallery! (It’s an all female artist show, so I would recommend to check it out!)
We want to highlight someone who has supported not only Mobile Care, but asthma patients across the world. Mia Fritsch-Anderson uses Instagram and Tiktok to make learning about asthma FUN! She is constantly creating engaging and educational videos, which you can find here.Mia, a high school senior living in Chicago, has asthma herself. On top of creating impressive amounts of content, she makes and donates inhaler covers, dances, boxes, participates in pageants and much more. Mia inspires us in many ways. We want to reach as many kids in need of care as possible so they are able to do all of things that Mia does, without worrying about their symptoms!!
What inspired you to create content about asthma and lung health? When did you start making this content and why?
I have been volunteering and doing lung advocacy for years but during the pandemic I really considered who I wanted to reach and how could I be most effective. I’m a teen and I know how much we are all on social media, and that was who I really wanted to connect with. So, I started making reels and TikTok’s about asthma. First, I just focused on what it feels like to live with asthma and what people get wrong, but I now also talk about things like using a spacer, how to use an inhaler, and even working with your local pharmacist. I always make sure to cite and use trusted sources as well, and always refer people back to their health care professionals! There is so much false information on social media, some of it well meaning, and some is just flat-out predatory, like selling expensive “cures” that do not work. That is why I back everything up with real educational sources. The response has been more than I ever expected. It’s really gratifying to get messages from kids and teens saying they related to my post or they felt understood.
Screenshot from @miarosefa_choosetobreathe tutorial video.
When did you first find out you had asthma, and how did you feel about your diagnosis?
I was first diagnosed as a toddler, just one year old, so I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have it- it’s just something I always had to live with. The first memories I have of asthma are spending time in the hospital and carrying my inhaler in school in a mini backpack so I could have it with me all the time instead of it sitting in the nurse’s office.
What is life like dealing with a chronic illness? What advice would you give to kids dealing with Asthma or similar issues?
I think the biggest thing that bothers me is that there are just so many misconceptions about what asthma is and what people with asthma can and can’t do, and that’s mostly because it isn’t portrayed very accurately on TV and in movies. People think that someone with asthma should be super nerdy and can’t be an athlete. Instead of being embarrassed when I need to use my inhaler in public (and I do, a lot- I dance, weight-lift, run, box- and I use my rescue if I need it!) I think of it as an opportunity to change people’s minds. I’ve learned that as long as I take my daily and rescue inhalers, my asthma is well-controlled and I can do the things I want to do.
The other challenge with living with a chronic illness is just making sure I always have my rescue inhaler with me- everybody forgets stuff! I tell my friends where I keep it just in case I need help- being able to talk about it with friends helps normalize it too!
What do you do in your free time (if you have any free time!!) Favorite shows, activities, etc.!
I am an Irish dancer and practice 4-5 days a week, I love to box and run for endurance, and my friends and I love finding new coffee or boba spots around the city. I am also obsessed with all things MARVEL!
Tell us about the beautiful inhaler covers you make (and donated to Mobile Care- thank you!!)
The inhaler covers were another idea I had to make inhalers more fun and to try and make it feel like less of a device. I make them in bright colors and fun patterns- and a bonus is it also helps me find mine in my bag faster! I make and donate them free of charge all over Chicagoland through local offices, the FAN program with the Respiratory Health Association, and the Asthma Van too!
You are a person of many talents. What do you want to do after high school?
I am going through the college application process right now as a senior in high school! I’m applying to Engineering programs and hope to major in Mechanical Engineering.
Mobile Care Chicago and the Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation are inviting artists from the Chicagoland area and beyond to design the exterior of a brand-new medical treatment van launching in Lake County. The artist with the selected design will be compensated a total of $2,000, and their design will be seen all throughout Lake County as we reach kids who need free, accessible care. Read on for details!
Mobile Care Chicago is a non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois. MCC’s mission is to deliver no-cost medical and preventative care, education, and support to low-income children and families within their communities aboard mobile medical clinics. Mobile Care specializes in asthma and allergy care, including screening and diagnosing those who are unaware that their health issues stem from asthma.
Asthma is a severe health issue that disproportionately affects disinvested communities across Chicagoland and Lake County. The need for comprehensive asthma care is high in Lake County, and children need accessible care – a mobile unit that will treat them from the comfort and convenience of their school.
Luckily, there will soon be an Asthma Van in Lake County! The medical unit, which is slated for launch in February 2023, is MCC’s first full-time mobile clinic based outside of the Chicago area. The mobile unit is a collaborative project between MCC and Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation, a charitable organization based in Lake County. CDRYAF’s mission is to educate, advocate, and provide services for families and youth suffering from asthma, with a focus on lessening the potentially adverse health effects on asthmatic youth and young adults involved in athletics within underserved communities.
We want kids to be excited to see the van and receive treatment on it, and for families to be able to recognize the medical clinic as it drives from school to school. That’s where you come in! Help us create a unique van decal, and walk away with some $$$!
We need a new Asthma Van decal design, and we want to work with Lake County creatives to pull it off! See below for compensation and details.
Submit your art/design portfolio to enter! Link can be found at the end of this post.
After reviewing artist portfolios, Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation and MCC will select three finalists, who will each be compensated $500 for a mock-up of the Asthma Van wrap. Using a flat lay template provided by Mobile Care, finalists will create a design that speaks to:
Community and Care
CDRYAF’s mission and/or MCC’s mission
2. From there, an internal team will vote on the final design. The artist whose design is selected will be compensated $1500, on top of the $500 mock-up fee. The winning designer will walk away with $2000 in total.
Requirements:
While there are no experience requirements, MCC suggests all applicants be proficient in Adobe InDesign + designing within a flat lay template.
The selected finalists will be sent a creative brief, and will be paid $500 each upon completion of the mock-up. Selected finalists will have 10 days to submit a mock-up, so applicants should be comfortable with that turn-around time!
Applicants should be from or currently living in Cook County, Illinois + Lake County Illinois
2.) Donate, or set a fundraising goal! Start a team with your family or friends. To start or join a team, click “I want to fundraise for this!” on the right side of the page.
3.) Share the link to your team page with friends via text, email, and social media – anyone who donates to your page is now on your team!
When you make a donation, you’ll get a confirmation email from GiveLively with a link to order your free shirt. Anyone who donates $35 or more is eligible while supplies last (we’ll let you know when we are running low!) Make sure to check spam. Email rlessing@mobilecarefoundation.org with any questions.
Can I order more shirts if I donated more than $35?
Yes!! If you donated a higher amount and would like more shirts, feel free select the quantity equaling your donation amount- for example, since shirts are valued at $35 each, a $70 donation= 2 shirts! $140 donation = 4 shirts!
At the beginning of September, we hosted an open contest to find the perfect design for our official Miles for Mobile Care T-Shirt. We decided on three finalists that submitted amazing artwork, and we are happy to announce that local artist Pablo’s (PabsPrints) design was the chosen one!
Pablo Trees is a Colombian born emerging artist and designer that’s been in the Chicago art scene for a few years now. His choice to start his own business led to the creation of ‘Adfectus’ @adfchi, a streetwear line. Soon Pabs Prints was born, and Pablo discovered his calling in the design and merchandise world. As the first place winner of our T-Shirt design contest, we knew Pablo offered something special and refreshing to Mobile Care Chicago. Luckily, we were able to get to know Pablo a little more:
Tell us a little bit about yourself!!
My name is Pablo Alejandro I am an immigrant from Bogota, Colombia moved to Melrose Park when I was 5, since middle school I’ve always had a passion for clothes. After I felt respect from my peers for what I was wearing I fell in love with the confidence I got from my outfits. I’ve drawn my whole life but my main focus was clothes when I first started expressing myself. I’ve always been told artist never make any money people used the idiom “You’ll be successful when Pigs fly “ so that sparked the motivation for my art brand Pabs Prints and I use the pig with wings as a mascot to do exactly that make pigs fly.
What inspired you to enter the Miles for MCC design contest?
After meeting your team I instantly fell in love with what you’re doing for the community I have a 5 year old myself so the thought of other kids being healed all across the city made me instantly want to work with you.
Name a few artists who inspire you.
My closest friends inspire me JPAK4EVA, Flthy Rich, Sillouette Matte.
Favorite Chicago spots?
I love Phillys best, Marz Brewing Co for the Taco Sublime tacos, Royal Palms, Fulton Market has been pretty fun lately and Humboldt, Logan, La Estrella Mini Mart is one of my favorite spots too!
What is your personal mission through your work, what message do you hope to spread through art and design?
My mission with my work is to prove to myself and the people around me that you can live comfortably off of your art. I want to encourage everyone around me to strive for financial freedom and motivate others to follow that passion that’s burning inside of them waiting to come out.
Where do you hope to end up next? What kind of projects do you hope to work on in the future – and how can we find you on social media or online?
I hope to move closer to the city and build more than just an online community. I hope to see myself collaborate with bigger brands. My next project is my yearly Halloween collection with new characters, F/W 2022 and my new solo podcast “Proud Disappointment Podcast” you can find that on my YouTube and I am on all social media platforms: @pabsprints
If you want to see more of Pablo’s artwork follow this link!
This award has only been given three other times since it was founded in 2010. It recognizes innovations in mobile health, and it is hyper-rigorous. For one thing, there’s no application process: the VNA Foundation only selects those on its radar, and to get on that radar, an organization must stand out as innovative, unique, and impactful. From there, a non-profit has to be nominated by the Foundation’s Executive Director, and the award is granted via vote of the Foundation’s full board. The Anne M. Davis Mobile Health Award comes with a $10,000 prize.
Mobile Care Chicago received the award for two reasons: one, the Flex Van, the first of its kind in the country; second, because of our efforts to integrate our dental and medical programs through the expanded functions of our EHR systems, also a first for a mobile program.
Lastly: we wouldn’t have the means to be such an adaptable and innovative clinic without your continued support, so thank you!! Thanks to you, we’ve been able to continuously update our vans to be adaptable and safe, implement more efficient technologies in order to reach and retain patients who need us, and hire the best staff out there – all things that set us up to receive an award like this. We are truly grateful.
You can watch the conversation here and learn more about why MCC received this great recognition!
Over the last few months, we’ve had some great acquisitions for the Mobile Care workforce. One of these amazing additions is our Cargo Van! The Cargo Van is our latest vehicle to join the Mobile Family and it’s already had a complete MCC makeover! Thanks to Do Right Services our van looks fresh and ready to serve the Chicagoland community one school at a time.
This addition gives us the flexibility to see dental patients inside the schools, as opposed to exclusively treating them in the van, which means expanding the overall scope of our dental program. More children deserve to have quality dental care, and the new Cargo Van will get that done!
Running multiple mobile clinics can be….complicated. The “mobile” aspect of our work effects everything: scheduling, staffing, what to do when a van needs maintenance, and more. Throw in a pandemic, a few brand new clinics, and chaos ensues. Luckily at MCC, Elizabeth Lemus, Asthma Program Manager, knows how to deal with it all while being kind and compassionate. But after 18 (!!) years, Elizabeth is stepping down from her role, and following a new endeavor – where we know she will flourish. We are VERY grateful that Elizabeth will still be helping us part time.
Elizabeth treats our patients and their families as her own, while always making sure they received quality care and attention (not to mention her Chilaquiles were to die for!) Even though she has not fully left Mobile Care, we will miss her every day at the office, where she would always lend a helping hand to whomever needed it. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our mission Elizabeth.
The Chicago Asthma Consortium, with partners including Mobile Care, has started a series to answer your questions about asthma & COVID-19. We recognize there is a lot of uncertainty for everyone right now, especially for those with asthma. Over the next few weeks, this series will work with experts across the region to get you the answers you need.
All videos will be posted here with a summary. Check back weekly for updated information and the answers to your questions.
Mobile Care’s no-cost mobile clinic model enables families that struggle with cost and transportation barriers to still access care at their neighborhood school.
Mobile Care keeps kids healthier and in school instead of the ER or hospital.
For every dollar spent by Mobile Care on the Asthma Vans, we prevent 3 dollars in more costly ER and hospital visits. The EPA estimates that Mobile Care has saved the local health care system at least $156 million.
