Supporting the Eastern Shore, both financially & physically, to create healthy people & a healthy society.
About Us
Our Mission
To support the Wellness of Eastern Shore citizens in becoming their "best" and "most whole" selves, through addressing the "Eight Areas of Wellness" in each person's life:
Physical
Emotional
Financial/Occupational
Intellectual
Environmental
Social
Creative
Spiritual
This program is piloted by Actualize Wellness Spa in Ocean City, Maryland, a favorite vacation spot of the Roots. The Dr. Richard & Marilyn Root Foundation is partnered with Actualize Wellness Center. To learn more about the center, click below.
Dr. Richard Kay Root
Dr. Root's humanitarian efforts were tragically cut short when he was killed by a crocodile in Botswana, Africa, while assisting with the AIDS pandemic there. A pioneer in Infectious Disease and Public Health, Dr. Root's infectious love for people mixed with his intellectual genius led him on a path to become the Chairman of Medicine at YALE, the University of Washington & the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He was a co-editor of a number of seminal textbooks with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the first Director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) "AIDS Task Force." Click below to find out more about how Dr. Root impacted the lives of thousands of people - in their own words. Also, here you will find a collection of articles that detail his work and clarify his untimely death (where a number of fictions have arisen on the internet).
Marilyn P. Root, MFCC
Marilyn Root assisted Dr. Root as he travelled to such regions as Iran and Europe and 8 different cities up and down both the Eastern and Western Seaboard. She earned her MFCC degree at the University of San Francisco, becoming a specialist in counseling children and abused women. In the same manner as her husband, Marilyn had a zest for life and a deep desire to help humanity, focusing on the human mind where Dr. Root focused on education and medicine. At 61 and the apex of her career, she passed away due to ALS.
Summer Projects 2023: Mental Health, TEEN Education & Adult
Mental Health Round Table
WELLTalk: Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, Psychiatrist
WELLTalk: Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, Psychiatrist
We are presently forming a Round Table Forum for local mental health experts to discuss how we can better serve our community. We will discuss what is working, what is needed, how can we offer these services, and how can we just let people know that our services are out there and how to find them. We will be doing our part in having a se
We are presently forming a Round Table Forum for local mental health experts to discuss how we can better serve our community. We will discuss what is working, what is needed, how can we offer these services, and how can we just let people know that our services are out there and how to find them. We will be doing our part in having a series of FREE WELLTalks at Actualize Wellness Center. If you would like to be a speaker, we would love to have you join us in this planning phase. We will also add you to our referral list. We seek to be a place where people simply get assistance finding where to go. We prefer to be a hub, not a treatment center. That way we can help more people!
We all know that mental health services are sorely lacking across the USA. This is especially true on the Eastern Shore. In my short time here, I have spoken with numerous people who have said that they just don't know where to get help. Others say services, such as support groups offered before COVID never came back or went online, which - for many - is not the best forum for their needs. We want to make a difference, and we want to hear from you.
WELLTalk: Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, Psychiatrist
WELLTalk: Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, Psychiatrist
WELLTalk: Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, Psychiatrist
Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, graduated from Johns Hopkins University and has had a psychiatric practice here on the Eastern Shore for over twenty years. She is a wellspring of information when it comes to searching out various mental health outlets. Presently, her passion is in the field of Neurofeedback and Biofeedback, a revolutionary non-inva
Dr. Hogan Pesaniello, graduated from Johns Hopkins University and has had a psychiatric practice here on the Eastern Shore for over twenty years. She is a wellspring of information when it comes to searching out various mental health outlets. Presently, her passion is in the field of Neurofeedback and Biofeedback, a revolutionary non-invasive treatment that addresses imbalances in brain wave activity to help patients achieve deeper healing and better functioning. She will also discuss mindfulness, emotional, cognitive, and behavior skills.
Fall Project 2023: Computers and the Internet.
Children and Parents Project
Senior Citizens & Caretakers Project
Senior Citizens & Caretakers Project
The recent pandemic has only gone to show us that we cannot deny the computer age, especially with our children. Many children fell behind because they simply did not have the computers or, even more challenging, the internet capability to do their classes on line. These children lost years of education. Let's make sure this does not happ
The recent pandemic has only gone to show us that we cannot deny the computer age, especially with our children. Many children fell behind because they simply did not have the computers or, even more challenging, the internet capability to do their classes on line. These children lost years of education. Let's make sure this does not happen again. We may say that the government is giving millions, especially in areas like the Eastern Shore, but for many, even a discount on internet service is not enough. We want to supplement those payments so all children have full access to the internet. Likewise, what if their access is free, but they don't have a computer? We want to help needed children possess a fully functional computer. What if parents and/or children cannot navigate the technological world to be successful. This is where we will step in, too. To share education.
Senior Citizens & Caretakers Project
Senior Citizens & Caretakers Project
Senior Citizens & Caretakers Project
Children and parents are not the only ones who can be left behind in this rapidly evolving world. What about our senior citizens who missed growing up with computers, cell phones, and internet everything? Even if you are between 50 & 60, your education in computers and internet access might be sorely lacking, and in some cases, zero. You
Children and parents are not the only ones who can be left behind in this rapidly evolving world. What about our senior citizens who missed growing up with computers, cell phones, and internet everything? Even if you are between 50 & 60, your education in computers and internet access might be sorely lacking, and in some cases, zero. You will find that most companies now make it very difficult to talk to a human being, and some don't even give you a choice. What do you do then? OR what if you don't have enough money to buy a computer or even a smart phone? We want to assist seniors to gain control of their lives again by supporting their education and their pocketbooks to remain masters of their own lives as our world rapidly moves to a digital world only.
The Big Idea & Future Projects
Senior Citizens & Caretakers Project
The Big Idea & Future Projects
Each season, Dr. Root Foundations focuses on a key project to assist the community. Although the major thrust of the foundation is to assist children and seniors, the Dr. Root Foundation is aware that children and seniors do not live in a vacuum, and often their caretakers are the one who must receive the education and financial assistanc
Each season, Dr. Root Foundations focuses on a key project to assist the community. Although the major thrust of the foundation is to assist children and seniors, the Dr. Root Foundation is aware that children and seniors do not live in a vacuum, and often their caretakers are the one who must receive the education and financial assistance to help children and seniors thrive. The "Big Idea" for the Dr. Root Foundation is to assist people in what Abraham Maslow calls "Self-Actualization," becoming self-sufficient and adept in Eight major areas of "wellness" to become our best selves. In the coming months look for the Dr. Root Foundation to begin assisting children in: educational scholarships, food security, and counseling. For Seniors the look to offer assistance in "Diet and Nutrition, Money Management, Dental Health, and Counseling.