Here is this month's update about our growing numbers of ACEs Connection members and geographic, interest-based, organizational, and international communities.

Please find more details about each one of the five new initiatives to join our network who are in Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Vermont as well as general information about starting or growing your communities, initiatives, and organizations.   

Welcome to the Newest Communities on ACEs Connection!

• Ardmore (OK) Behavioral Health Collaborative: We are building a healthy, connected and resilient community. Community Manager: Ashley Godwin 

• Building Flourishing Communities (VT): The Building Flourishing Communities team works by activating local leadership through an understanding of the importance of early childhood development and how our earliest experiences affect our health and well-being through-out life. We're developing highly-trained volunteer Master Trainers, who in turn identify local leaders and train them in the model. Community Manager: Kathy Hentcy
• Resilient Payne County (OK): Our Community vision is to create a compassionate and resilient county where children and families thrive. And our mission is to empower trauma sensitive "community" through regional awareness and support (including financial) to reduce the number of adverse childhood experiences (ACES) while increasing resilience. Community Manager: Carolynn macAllister
• Troy Resilience Project (Alabama): We are teaching Troy, Alabama and the Wiregrass about ACEs and Resilience. Our goal is for all community members to integrate trauma-informed and resilience-building practices into work, home, school, and community interactions, so that we can heal and grow together to be a stronger community every day. Community Manager: Elizabeth Dawson, MD

• Watauga County (North Carolina) ACEs Connection: We are a grassroots collaborative whose mission is to promote health and resiliency in our community and to effectively prevent, recognize, and treat trauma by creating safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. The WCCI hosts an annual educational event as well as additional workshops throughout the year. Community Manager: Crystal Kelly

Link to all ACEs Connection communities

• Mapping the Movement: All of our ACEs Connection
  Geographic Communities

Growing Resilient Communities 2.0 
For more information about starting and growing ACEs initiatives, please refer to the ACEs Connection interactive graphic packed with information and a four-part process (educating, engaging, activating, and celebrating) for working in communities. The content, created by founder and publisher, @Jane Stevens who worked with graphic artist, @Val Krist synthesizes lessons learned from working with, watching and writing about the work of over 100 local, national and international initiatives and the amazing individuals who make them up. 

Interested in Starting or Growing a Community?
To help you start or grow a community in your area, please reach out to an ACEs Connection Community Facilitator below:

Communities in:

• Midwest states, contact Ingrid Cockhren
• Northeast states, contact Cissy White
• Northwest states, contact Karen Clemmer
• Southern states, contact Carey Sipp
• Western states, contact Gail Kennedy
  
  • California Communities:
    • Capitol region, Central Valley, contact Gail Kennedy
    • Northern California, contact @Karen Clemmer
    • San Francisco Bay Area, contact Donielle Prince
    • Southern California, contact @Lara Kain
• International Communities:
  • Contact Gail Kennedy