Tagged With "Read More"
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Fidgety Fairy Tales – The Mental Health Musicals
One upon a time, familiar fairy tales were re-imagined as delightful 40-minute musical theatre performances. Fidgety Fairy Tales - The Mental Health Musicals use gentle humor, great music, and compelling performances by talented youth to raise awareness about children's mental health. The goals are to: Provide accurate information about mental health disorders using clear, accessible language Dispel the myths and reduce the fear and misunderstanding around mental health disorders Portray the...
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Finding My Own Meaning Through REACH Stewartville
My own history of ACEs is too long for this blog post, but I have a score of 8/10. What is important though is that this score has brought me strength, purpose, and direction as my position of REACH Program Coordinator at Stewartville Middle and High School in Stewartville, MN. I grew up in Stewartville and am now raising my family here. REACH stands for Relationships, Education, Accountability, Character, and Hard work. REACH is an elective class offered to students in grades 7-12. Students...
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Free 2017 Spring Webinar Series: World View
May 11, noon-1:30 pm: World View Dave Ellis Every day we engage with people who are very different and similar from us: race, gender, ethnicity and more. Epigenetics tells us that we are more alike than different. So why can’t we just get along? Our worldviews -values, beliefs, assumptions, attitudes and ideas- impact everything from how we understand the nature of reality to how we respond to the environment around us. It informs our goals and desires, shaping conscious and unconscious...
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From Trauma to Resilience training in Minneapolis, MN
Only 15 SPOTS remain for our training, From Trauma to Resilience: Fostering Hope Through Trauma-Informed Care! On September 27, participants will come together for our day long comprehensive training. This training is designed to assist participants in developing their unique skillset needed to support individuals who have experienced adverse childhood experiences and traumatic events. Objectives: Increase awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and impact on well-being. Explain...
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Growing Up in Today's World is NOT Easy: One Student's Story
Growing up in today's world is NOT easy. I have heard hundreds of students tell me this. Despite this fact, many of them have also told me that many of the adults in their lives don't seem to understand this, including parents, teachers, and society. Adults who are disconnected from the reality of the lives of the youth that they are around will not be able to completely understand how to provide the support that might be needed for those youth needing it most. I recently met a young woman...
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Harvard Infographic on ACEs and Toxic Stress
This was just posted by Harvard. I thought all of us could use access to it, for use in our schools and the settings we work in. The full image is on the attached PDF.
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Health system should recognize intergenerational trauma, expert says [CBCNews]
A leading authority on First Nations health is calling on healthcare practitioners to recognize intergenerational trauma when treating Indigenous patients. Dr. Evan Adams is the chief medical officer for the First Nations Health Authority in B.C. He told the's CBC's The Early Edition the historic oppression faced by Indigenous people can linger as trauma in subsequent generations. "Trauma really is a wound," he said. "Often, trauma is psychic in nature, not physical ... and it can be an...
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Help #GreatChildhoods Happen This April!
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a national month dedicated to recognizing the ways that people can get involved in the healthy development of children. Prevent Child Abuse America and Minnesota Communities Caring for Children are spreading the message that everyone plays a role in helping great childhoods happen. Get involved with child abuse prevention by taking part in activities like mentoring children and parents, advocating for family-friendly policies, and donating time and...
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Helping Students Overcome Toxic Stress through Science-Based Teaching Practices (stresshealth.org)
“What our students really crave the most is predictability from the adults interacting with them,” says Roger Sapp, a student success teacher at KIPP. For that reason, the one-on-one session is not a reward for being “good” or withheld if something bad happens. The kids who need it can count on it – every day. The scene is from a video by Edutopia (aka the George Lucas Educational Foundation), which has produced a series of more than 20 powerful, engaging shorts on how children learn in...
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Honor A Parent or Caretaker for the Unsung Hero Award
February is National Parent Leadership Month. Minnesota Communities Caring for Children (MCCC) / Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota (PCAMN) will join forces with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and other national and local organizations to recognize, honor, and celebrate parents and caretakers for leadership roles in their homes and communities throughout the month. All nominees will be honored and highlighted in a celebration at the State Capitol on Thursday, February 23, 2017. Food...
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How childhood stress can knock 20 years off your life [The Guardian]
T here is a scene in James Redford’s new film, Resilience , in which a paediatrician cites a parental misdeed so outmoded as to seem bizarre. “Parents used to smoke in the car with kids in the back and the windows rolled up,” she says, incredulous. How long ago those days now seem; how wise today’s parents are to the dangers of those toxins. Yet every week in her clinic in the Bayview-Hunters Point area of San Francisco, children present with symptoms of a new pollutant – one that is just as...
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How Childhood Trauma Adversely Affects Decision-making
New research shows that those who suffered significant trauma at a young age are unable to correctly consider risk as adults. Read the full article here .
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How one St. Paul elementary school is building a trauma-informed learning environment
[From: MINNPOST | 11.28.16] On Nov. 9, educators at Bruce Vento Elementary in St. Paul fielded an onslaught of tough questions from students. Some wanted to know if they would be sent away, or if their parents would be sent away. Others were trying to make sense of the wall, wondering if Donald Trump intended to build a wall between black and white people. And at least one student raised the concern that black people would be forced into slavery. This list of post-election inquiries from...
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How Tuning Into Your Body Can Make You More Resilient
By balancing our physiology and nervous systems, body-based practices can help us through hard times. Read more from Linda Graham, author of Resilience: Powerful Practices for Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, and Even Disaster , about several methods to develop resilience. Find the article here!
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In Minnesota, Recruitment of Native American Foster Homes Stymied by ‘Lifetime Prohibitions’ [Chronicles of Social Change]
by Christie Renick "Shana King, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, spent more than three years in foster care as a teen. She lost her own children to the system during a struggle with heroin. Since then, she has gotten her children back, bought a home, and received a national award for her work as a mentor. She badly wants to be a foster parent to American Indian children in Hennepin County, Minnesota's most populous metro area. But because of the drug history, the county...
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Inter-Generational Trauma: 5 Ways It Impacts Families [psych central]
Have you ever heard of the term inter-generational trauma? What about “generational curse?” Inter-generational trauma is a concept developed to help explain years of generational challenges within families. It is the transmission (or sending down to younger generations) of the oppressive or traumatic effects of a historical event. For example, a great grandmother who was placed in a concentration camp in Germany may have learned to cope by “cutting off” her emotions. Because of this, this...
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Introducing Emily Clary, MCCC's Director of ACE Collaborative Partnerships
Emily Clary is responsible for helping develop and coordinate the ACE Interface training and Self-Healing Communities partnership with the Children’s Mental Health and Family Services Collaboratives across the state. Emily holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Sociology from Beloit College. Emily is deeply committed to sharing research about Adverse Childhood Experiences and...
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Job Opportunity
Minnesota Communities Caring for Children (MCCC) is currently seeking applicants for a new position – the Community Education and Engagement Manager. This position will coordinate and support a variety of MCCC education and outreach activities statewide, including coordination of the network of MN ACE Interface Trainers and Presenters. For more information or to apply, click here.
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Keep Talking! Someone Will Listen!
I would like to share some learning opportunities with you. Share these with all who will listen. REACH Stewartville learned last week that we will be receiving a Star of Innovation Award at the 2017 Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals Summer Conference at Breezy Point Resort this June. We will also be doing 2 presentations at the conference on June 14th. Encourage school administrators in your area to attend this conference to learn more about ACEs and how REACH...
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Kickoff- Mental Well-Being Learning Community
Join the Minnesota Department of Health for the inaugural monthly statewide Mental Well-Being and Resilience Learning Community TUESDAY MAY 30 th 10:00-12:00 REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE SITES ? Registration includes a list of sites near you. NO SITE ADDRESS? We will update site addresses as identified. Hosts will also email participants before the event. NO SITE NEAR YOU? Email anna.lynn@state.mn.us to confirm if one is currently available or to become a host. OTHER QUESTIONS? See...
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Leading Organizations Partner on a Campaign to Heal Childhood Trauma [prweb.com]
“Calo Programs partners with three non-profits, on a five-city, childhood trauma awareness bus tour, ending on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Calo Programs , innovators in healing the effects of early life trauma in young people, is partnering with three of the nation's leading authorities on attachment, trauma and adoption: the American Adoption Congress (AAC), the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN) and the Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children (ATTACh). Together...
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March 30 - April 3 Topics for Minnesota Daily Virtual Practicing Resilience in Community
Minnesota Communities Caring for Children invites you to join us in a daily, 30-minute, family-friendly practice of resilience, Monday-Friday at 12:30 p.m. on Zoom We will continue to offer these through April! We are living in a particularly stressful moment in global history, and research shows us that there are simple daily practices that can help us self-regulate and support each other – even in stressful and uncertain times like these. Each day we will practice some tool for calming our...
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The 2016 Midwest ACE Summit
Thank you to those who attended the 2016 Midwest ACE Summit! At the event nearly 300 people came together to learn about how communities are addressing ACEs and promoting healing in Minnesota and across the Midwest. We hope that participants were energized by the stories they heard and inspired about what can be done to foster resilience and healing in their own communities. Attached to this post are the Summit agenda and breakout session descriptions for your reference. Resources shared at...
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Minnesota Wrestles with Foster Care’s Role in Breaking up Black Families [chronicleofsocialchange.org]
On Dec. 3 , a 28-year-old black mother lost her parental rights to her four children – ages 1 to 9 – in a Minnesota courtroom, just outside the Twin Cities. Instead of opening presents with their mother, the children spent Christmas with a white family two hours away. Across the country, black parents – like this mother, whom we will call Jane R. to protect her privacy – are more likely to lose custody of their children than their white, Asian and Latino peers. While African Americans...
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MN Research: The Value of Understanding ACEs
Over the past three years, Minnesota Communities Caring for Children (MCCC) has worked to raise awareness about brain development, ACEs, and resilience statewide using the national ACE Interface curriculum. To date the organization has trained more than 130 Minnesotans from diverse communities to present this curriculum and help foster community responses. This summer, Maxine Freedman of Macalester College interviewed 29 members of MCCC's network to assess the impact of this work on...
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MN Trauma Project aims to increase understanding of how past experiences shape our lives today [MinnPost.com]
Many people experience trauma, but few — and that includes medical professionals — understand the larger impact it can have on their lives and the lives of others. Ryan Van Wyk, a psychologist at Park Nicollet Melrose Center , wants to change that. He believes that past trauma lies at the root of many common mental health and addiction issues, and if more people understood that fact and worked to heal trauma, many could live happier, healthier lives. “My graduate school was great,” Van Wyk...
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"Moving from Understanding to Implementing Trauma-Responsive Services" Takeaways from SAMSHA Forum in Johnson City 9.5.19
Speakers and guests at the SAMSHA Forum included (l-r) Mary Rolando of the Department of Children's Services; Chrissy Haslam, First Lady of Tennessee; Dr. Joan Gillece, SAMSHA Center for Trauma Informed Care; Dr. Andi Clements, East Tennessee State University; Becky Haas, Johnson City Police Department; Carey Sipp, ACEs Connection, and Robin Crumley, Boys & Girls Club of Johnson City/Washington County. It was easy to be both inspired and a bit overwhelmed at the Substance Abuse and...
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National Council for Behavioral Health Conference #NatCon19
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual National Council for Behavioral Health Conference. I have been to my fair share of conferences but #NatCon19 was one of the best. First, I'm biased. It took place in my city, Nashville, TN . And the venue was the world renowned Opryland Hotel's Gaylord Convention Center . And, I love, love, love the Opryland Hotel ! As any seasoned conference goer, I had a strategy when it came to which sessions and events I wanted to attend. My game...
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Nominate a Trauma-Informed Care Champion: #TICchampion
Becoming a trauma-informed organization requires clear communication about the transformation process, and support from staff at all levels of an organization. Often these efforts are spearheaded by “trauma-informed care champions”— individuals committed to raising awareness regarding the health effects of trauma and toxic stress and improving care for people who have experienced trauma. This week, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) invites you to recognize people around you who...
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Paper Tigers Documentary Viewing in Stewartville March 6th
REACH Stewartville and the Olmsted County BRIDGE Collaborative would like to invite you to a free public viewing of the documentary Paper Tigers. This film shows how one school changed their approach working with students who have a high number of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). I highly recommend this film for everyone who works with students. See the attached flyer, the information below, and the Eventbrite registration link for more information about this film and ACEs. What:...
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Portraits of Professional CAREgivers: Their Passion. Their Pain - FREE Screening for ACEs Connection Network!
I am excited to announce that ACEs Connection Network has partnered with the producers of the film, Portraits of Professional CAREgivers: Their Passion. Their Pain . to host a FREE SCREENING of the film for our members. If you have been t hinking of hosting a screening of CAREgivers in your community or are interested in learning more about secondary traumatic stress and what to do about it, join our ACEs Connection Network for a FREE screening of this film and a virtual chat with the...
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Positive Childhood Experiences offset ACEs: Q & A with Dr. Robert Sege about HOPE
Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...
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Positive Childhood Experiences offset ACEs: Q & A with Dr. Robert Sege about HOPE
Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...
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Preventing & Treating Childhood Trauma in Central Minnesota
Read about Feeling Good MN, an organization working to prevent and treat childhood trauma in Central Minnesota, and learn more about other local resources here !
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Propel: Resources for Youth Struggling with Substance Use and Their Families
The University of MN and Natalis Counseling & Psychology Solutions are partnering to provide two new drug and alcohol abuse prevention and intervention programs. The goal of the programs is to help adolescents and parents live a healthy and drug-free life. These brief, evidenced-based interventions (described below) provide a unique opportunity for teens and their families to develop skills related to problem solving, goal planning, and relationship building. For more information about...
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Providers Hope Trauma Legislation Will Help Native Children in Foster Care [ChornicleOfSocialChange.org]
Recent federal legislation put forward by senators Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) proposes to address the issue of childhood trauma through the creation of a federal trauma task force. The Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act would gather federal officials and members of tribal agencies to create a set of best practices and training to help create a better way to identify and support children and families that have experienced trauma. In...
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Putting the Power of Self-Knowledge to Work [New York Times]
Thirty years ago, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Doris Lessing gave a series of lectures, later published in a book, “ Prisons We Choose to Live Inside ,” in which she reflected on the brutality in the world and asked how individuals and societies could evolve into something better. It’s a sobering book, but Lessing is hopeful — and her main source of hope stems from the capacity of human beings to study themselves and learn from their own behavior. “I think when people look back at our...
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Racism Kills: What Community-Level Interventions Can Do About It [Rewire.news]
In the first two installments of this series, we addressed promising approaches for buffering the impact of racism on health—learning cognitive and emotional strategies, known as self-regulation , for coping with stress and building cultural connections that buffer the impacts of toxic stress. Both of those arenas are born out of social science research showing a connection between these elements and improved health outcomes, even in the face of significant adversity. But these individual...
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Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Solving Poverty in Your Local Community (www.betterleadersbetterschools.com) & Commentary
Cissy's note: This is a great podcast for parents, educators, and community organizers and change makers. It is an interview with @Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz interviewed by Danny Bowers "Sunshine" of Better Leaders Better Schools . Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz says things like, " We all need each other. Everyone here is important," and " The community is who we are," but they aren't inclusive-sounding platitudes. She is a tireless optimist but also understands, personally and professionally, how...
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Reducing ACEs & Building Resilience in Washington State Webinar
With Lowell Johnson, ACEs Resiliency Coalition; Emily Clary, Minnesota Communities Caring for Children Learn about significant progress being made in reducing the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and early childhood trauma, through examples of some of the successes that three communities experienced in Washington State, and sharing conversations with people doing this work in Washington State. Watch the full webinar here
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Register TODAY for the Midwest ACE Summit!
Registration is now available for the 2016 Midwest ACE Summit ! For more information visit: www.pcamn.org/midwest-ace-summit Click HERE to register!
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Resilience practices overcome students’ ACEs in trauma-informed high school, say the data [ACES TOO HIGH]
Three years ago, the story about how Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tried a new approach to school discipline and saw suspensions drop 85% struck a nerve. It went viral – twice — with more than 700,000 page views. Paper Tigers , a documentary that filmmaker James Redford did about the school — premiered last Thursday night to a sold-out crowd at the Seattle International Film Festival. Hundreds of communities around the country are clamoring for screenings. After four years of...
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"Resilience" screenings at Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival this week
For those of you in the Minneapolis and Rochester, MN, areas, Resilience is coming to two theaters near you this week, as is director James Redford. Resilience was selected for the roster of films at the 35th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival . Resilience is a documentary that looks at the birth of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and how it’s spawned a movement across the world. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It will...
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Saciido Shaie: ‘America needed me, and I needed America’ [City Pages]
"One day, when Saciido Shaie and her daughter were driving in downtown Minneapolis, three men in a truck drove by. There was an air-splitting blat as they honked the horn. Then came a yell that Shaie still remembers. 'Go back to your country. We don't need you here.' They drove off, but to say nothing more came of that moment would be to discount every other moment when somebody made her feel like she didn't belong. Shaie is originally from Somalia. There, her family had been rich. They had...
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Save the Date for the 2016 Midwest ACE Summit!
The 2016 Midwest ACE Summit will bring people across the region together in shared learning that goes beyond the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study to focus on deeper issues of historical trauma and successful strategies for helping individuals and communities heal, build resiliency, and prevent future ACEs. We welcome your ideas for Summit presentation topics and presenters. To submit an idea or nomination, please see the form attached to this post. For more information about the...
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Six Ways Developmental Trauma Shapes Adult Identity [Psychology Today]
Dissociation from oneself has long-term implications for who we become. How common is developmental trauma? Developmental trauma is more common than many of us realize. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network , 78% of children reported more than one traumatic experience before the age of 5. Twenty percent of children up to the age of 6 were receiving treatment for traumatic experiences, including sexual abuse, neglect , exposure to domestic violence , and traumatic loss or...
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Some Thoughts About The Harsh Reality of ACEs
So here is the harsh reality of ACEs. The child who enters kindergarten with an ACEs score of 3 or 4 will likely have that score double or more by the time they graduate from high school. For far too many students, adverse childhood experiences ARE life experiences. These life experiences affect everything from mental and physical health to relationships and academics. Our students can't simply be "fixed" with a temporary response. Trauma-informed/responsive education isn't a fad. This isn't...
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Re: Finding My Own Meaning Through REACH Stewartville
Let me know if you would like more information. I also do presentations about how we combat ACEs through programs like REACH.
Comment
Re: Finding My Own Meaning Through REACH Stewartville
Let me know if you would like more information. I also do presentations about how we combat ACEs through programs like REACH.