Tagged With "Cracked Up"
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‘None of us will ever be the same’: Survivors of 2017 Tubbs Fire face long-term trauma [Sacramento Bee]
By Panchalay Chalermkraivuth, August 2, 2019, Sacramento Bee Robert “Priest” Morgan hasn’t slept without a cocktail of pills since the night he says God kicked him in the head to wake him up – the night he opened the front door of his Santa Rosa mobile home to see a fire engine, a few people running up and down Sahara Street and screaming. “The sky looked like the Fourth of July,” he said. “The entire park except for my street was an inferno.” It wasn’t Independence Day – it was Oct. 9,...
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‘None of us will ever be the same’: Survivors of 2017 Tubbs Fire face long-term trauma [Sacramento Bee]
BY PANCHALAY CHALERMKRAIVUTH pchalermkraivuth@sacbee.com August 3, 2019 Robert “Priest” Morgan hasn’t slept without a cocktail of pills since the night he says God kicked him in the head to wake him up – the night he opened the front door of his Santa Rosa mobile home to see a fire engine, a few people running up and down Sahara Street and screaming. “The sky looked like the Fourth of July,” he said. “The entire park except for my street was an inferno.” It wasn’t Independence Day – it was...
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Notes and materials from 10/29 meeting
Here are Karen's great notes from our last meeting. Dear Sonoma County ACES Connection members! Here are notes from today’s meeting. It was such a lively discussion I was not able to capture everything! We now have a set...
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Notes and materials from our first meeting of 2015
We had a good meeting last Wednesday. Allen Nishikawa greeted us with a mindfulness practice that helped us relax and be present. ACEs Connection staff Alicia and Jesus joined us and it was a pleasure to meet them in person! Karen Clemmer once...
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Notes from 2/25/2015 meeting
We had a good turnout at our last meeting. Lisa Manthe, the clinical director of New Directions School (a program of Child Parent Institute) presented on trauma-informed education and the work of New Directions. New Directions is a non-public...
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Notes from 2-26-2020 SCAC meeting
All were welcomed and each person introduced themselves, highlighting what inspires them to integrate ACEs science into their personal and or professional lives. New members were welcomed! Elizabeth Smith, Founder/ CEO of Project Whole Child introduced herself, and shared that in addition to this role she is a west county school board member , a board member of PeaceTown , and president of the Sebastopol Soroptimist Club ! Whew! When the group’s conversation moved towards identifying a space...
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Notes from 4/22/2015 meeting
Seventeen Sonoma County ACEs Connection members attended our monthly, in-person meeting on April 22. Once again, Allen Nishikawa greeted us with a warm, steamy hand towel so that we could truly “arrive” and be mindful. We agreed that, for...
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Notes from 9.26.18 meeting re aligning with 4CA policy efforts
At the September 26, 2018 Sonoma County ACEs Connection meeting, there was discussion about firming up the SCAC policy subcommittee and aligning efforts with 4CA . For those seeking more information regarding 4CA, click this link: www.4cakids.org See attached for the 4CA Action Plan Link to resent post by Gail Yen at 4CA: ACEs Connection Updates on the (4CA)'s Endorsed Bills Copied from the 4CA website: The C alifornia C ampaign to C ounter C hildhood A dversity is guided by the 4CA Action...
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Notes from May 27, 2015 meeting
May 27, 2015 Never before in the history of medicine have we had better insight into the factors that determine the health of an individual from infancy to adulthood, which is part of the life course perspective—a way of looking at life not as...
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Notes from our 1-23-19 meeting - Check these out!
ACEs Enthusiasts Community Meeting NOTES! Date: January 23, 2019 About this community: We bring the community together to prevent, heal, and treat ACEs while promoting resiliency. Embedded GREEN text= hyper link just click for more information New Year - New Focus! With start of new year, Sonoma County ACEs Connection will re-start fresh with a community focus, while seeking opportunities to leverage and coordinate with others. Welcome & Gather - thanks to Nancy for bringing (lots of!)...
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Notes from our 3.27.19 meeting
ACEs Enthusiasts Community Meeting Notes March 27, 2019 from 3:30 to 5:00 Location: Child Parent Institute About this community: We bring the community together to prevent, heal, and treat ACEs while promoting resiliency. New Year - New Focus! Sonoma County ACEs Connection is starting fresh in 2019 with an emphasis on community, while seeking opportunities to leverage and coordinate with others. Welcome & Gather Mindful moment - volunteer to lead? Welcomed several new folks, representing...
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Nothing About Them Would Stand Out in a Crowd
photo credit: chuttersnap/unsplash.com By Alice M. Kenny (pseudonym) (The article below is an excerpt from my new book, Crazy Was All I Ever Knew: The Impact of Maternal Mental Illness on Kids . I have used a pseudonym to protect the privacy of family members.) The emotions adult children of parents with mental illness experience are a mixed bag. Sometimes a jumble. Guilt, loss, grief, and resentment are among the emotions that persist or bubble to the surface in adulthood. Some feel...
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November 1 Clinician's Training on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: Trauma Informed Intervention Offering
This year's ACEs and Resiliency Fellowship program seeks to engage local therapists and counselors in expanding their trauma informed intervention skill set. Join us for our first training on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a trauma intervention modality appropriate for individuals in middle school or older. November 1, 2017, 1:00 - 3:00 at Sonoma County Office of Education This training covers the fundamentals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills: Core Mindfulness, Distress...
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November 18, 2015 Meeting Notes
Fifteen members attended. Attendance was anticipated to be lower, because many members had prior commitments. Allen Nishikawa opened the meeting and introduced Elisabeth Chicoine, Manager of the Public Health Family Health Section. She announced that...
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Oakland, CA, trying out model used in Baltimore to reduce trauma, increase resilience
Oakland BSC activity: Photo/ Courtesy of Trauma Transformed/East Bay Agency for Children When a group of community organizations in Baltimore came together in 2015, they already knew trauma figured large in many lives. There was violence in the community, in schools, and in community members’ homes. Police brutality occurred. Many suffered the loss of loved ones to incarceration or death. There were house fires and homelessness. Much of the dysfunction was systemic and rooted in racism,...
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Oakland, CA, youth organization takes next step in systems change to heal trauma
In a room in East Oakland, Calif., photos of children are projected on a screen. “Who is that?” asks Briana Moore, a licensed clinical social worker in private practice and a master trainer for the East Bay Agency for Children’s Trauma Transformed program. “Bill Clinton,” responds one of the 20 employees of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC).
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Oakland Promise Brilliant Baby is giving families a Resilient Start
Program Provider Sadie Williams works with financial coach Judit Trinidad as they practice family engagement for Oakland Promise Brilliant Baby Program enrollees.
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OCAP needs you! Apply now to become a member of their 2019 Citizen Review Panels
Make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children in California. Use your voice to change the child welfare system in California! Convened by the Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP), they are seeking citizen (YOUR) input at their quarterly meetings. Now is your chance to make recommendations to the State! Apply now t o become a member of the California Child-welfare Citizen Review Panels (CRPs). Meetings are held 4 times a year. Participation can be by phone, computer, or in-person.
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October 26 Meeting Notes
(For a colorful version with graphics, please see the attached .pdf.) 10/26/16 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Jessica Hackwell invited the group to take a mindful moment to listen to a “reflection” or short tale with a powerful message about intentions. Briana Downey welcomed the group to the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home and talked briefly about the Trauma Informed Journey taking place through this residential...
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October Meeting Cancelled - Meet Again on November 29
Dear Friends, Let’s join hands during this difficult time, and offer each other strength as we strive to process these events. We all need help to cope and to begin to recover. We’ll strive to post resources on Sonoma County ACEs Connection that will help us: Find housing, income, food, and other resources Find the words to talk to our children about how to cope Find ideas for how to calm our minds and bodies Our Steering Committee plans meeting next week to come up with other concrete...
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OneJustice Free Immigration Workshop March 27
This workshop includes DACA Renewals and Citizenship Applications. Appointments are required. Please call (415) 534-5878 to set up an appointment. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019 FROM 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM ROHNERT PARK (*LOCATION WILL BE GIVEN WHEN APPOINTMENT IS MADE) To learn more, click HERE Or visit sonomacountysecurefamilies.org/ See attached for printable flyers in English and Spanish.
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Oprah Speaks About ACEs on National TV
Laura Porter and dozens of other friends sent a flurry of emails this week with Oprah in the subject line. This national figurehead carrying our message to a national audience ensures childhood adversity, trauma and resiliency are topics of conversation in households across our country. Talking about ACEs is just one step before taking action on ACEs! Laura Porter writes "This is in advance of the airing of a 60 Minutes airing of a story she successfully pitched for the show. I will be...
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Oprah Winfrey and Healing from the Inside Out
Linda Rosenberg, President and CEO, National Council for Behavioral Health, brings news from the field to the National Council membership and joins the chorus of voices responding to the 60 minutes segment with Oprah Winfrey on childhood trauma in her post "Oprah Winfrey and Healing from the Inside Out" If you don’t fix the hole in the soul… you’re working at the wrong thing. – Oprah Winfrey Far too many children are growing up with a “hole in their soul.” Nearly half the nation’s children...
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Oreos, Apples, Coconuts and Bananas: The Precarious Position of Interpreters. Basic ACES Training for Providers, Part Three
If you work with clients in health or human services, you will at some point work with an interpreter. Have you thought about the awkward position they occupy? Language is only part of the problem. They must be “white” enough to understand and navigate the bureaucratic culture, while being black/brown/yellow/red enough to understand the client’s worldview and concerns and to be able to gain the trust of the communities they serve. When I worked with refugees, I often served...
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Overcoming Adversity with Diversity in Technology and Digital Media Storytelling
Hanna Institute's Professional Networking Breakfast will be next Thursday Dec 14th, 7:30-9am with digital media genius Villy Wang, speaking about social enterprise and how digital media arts can empower youth of color from historically underserved communities to take back their narratives through storytelling. Breakfast and Inspiration for $30. Free for educators and students.
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Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Summer 2019 Learning Institute!
The Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center is incredibly excited to announce that registration is open for our Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Summer 2019 Learning Institute ! What: Two days of incredibly high quality faculty (e.g. David Shonfeld from the National School Crisis & Bereavement Center! Yolo Akili Robinson from the Black Emotional & Mental Health Collective!) offering intensive learning sessions to support the mental health...
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Paper Tigers Inspires Action
Just moments into watching "Paper Tigers" last August, Angie Dillon Shore and Socorro Shiels found themselves wiping away tears. By the film's conclusion, Angie, a former youth counselor and current Upstream Investments Program Manager, and Socorro, then the Superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools both felt compelled to take immediate action. What if together, these two women could bring the film to local educators and parents? Could the film change the conversation...
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PARENTING GUIDES: Please share to support parents
During this challenging time, parents need more resources than ever. Please let parents know about the following guides from the Yolo County Children's Alliance and the Yolo Child Abuse Prevention Council. All guides are available at www.yolokids.org/forfamilies , and I have attached a summary of the guides if you would prefer to share that. Please note that we will be releasing our positive discipline guide on 4/1/20 ( Handling Your Child's Challenging Behaviors at Every Age ). The guides...
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Peer Voices Now! Spring 2018 Newsletter
Kalia Mussetter of Living Bridges " Bringing people together for transformative community service," invites you to read the attached Peer Voices Now! newsletter. Kalia writes: "Please enjoy this beautiful newsletter. It is rich with fine, heartfelt writing by many local mental health Peer Providers; talented individuals who serve our mental health stakeholder community every day. There is a focus on experience of both loss and healing from the recent fires, as well as moving accounts of peer...
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Petaluma Group Inspired to Prevent, Heal, Treat ACES
A local Petaluma group kicked off 2016 by inviting Karen Clemmer, PHN, and Brian Farragher, Executive Director of Hannah Boys Center to speak about preventing, healing, and treating Adverse Childhood Experiences. Erin Hawkins, Community Outreach Program Manager of the Petaluma Health Care District, encouraged members of the Community Health Initiative for Petaluma Area (affectionately known as "CHIPA" to many members) to ponder the impact of ACES on the health of Petaluma...
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Petaluma Health Center leads effort to link women to services
Sonoma County was one of six sites selected nationally to participate in a CityMatCH practice collaborative to prevent substance exposed pregnancies. In 2012 Rebecca Munger CNM, PHN the Sonoma County Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health Coordinator lead a broad coalition of reproductive health champions who worked across sectors and settings to develop a trio of strategies to reduce substance exposed pregnancies. The first strategy developed with CDC and WHO technical support was a bundled...
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Philadelphia will pilot a trauma-informed facility for arrested youth [Generocity.org]
The City of Philadelphia will begin testing trauma-informed facilities as an alternative to holding cells for arrested youth. Those facilities, which will be “child-centered” and “service-oriented,” will be funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2018 Mayors Challenge. Philadelphia’s city-led social enterprise incubator FastFWD was funded by way of the Mayors Challenge in 2013. The 35 finalists for the 2018 challenge have received grants of “up to $100,000” to test public prototypes of their...
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Policy Committee Meeting Notes
Meeting Notes: June 8, 2018 It was suggested that we try posting a more informal blog of our meeting, rather than the usual minutes. Please let us know if this is a better way to capture the free-flowing discussion and flavor of our meetings. Note: Sonoma County ACEs Connection is referred to as “SCAC” to save typing. Members attending were Alison Lobb, Lena Hoffman and Allen Nishikawa. Karen Clemmer was unable to attend but had forwarded some helpful links and information to members. Our...
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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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Preparing People for Climate Change in California: Sonoma County Listens and Shares
Last summer Bob Doppelt asked me to join a planning committee for a conference on climate change . I was surprised to be asked as my recent professional expertise is tied to addressing childhood adversity. Bob changed my perspective on the relevance by saying, "Adversity and trauma are the social side effects of climate-related disasters. Imagine the social-emotional impacts on Katrina survivors." The connection was a glimmer in my mind, but I agreed to support a California conference .
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Prevent Child Abuse - Sonoma County annual report 2014-2015
In case you missed picking up a copy of the 2014-2015 annual report from Prevent Child Abuse-Sonoma County, here it is. This year, it provides a snapshot of child abuse and neglect data, a two-page overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study,...
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Program offers hundreds of young men, boys safe space to heal from ACEs
Dennis McCollins recounts some of the experiences that caused him to harden against the world as a teenager. “There were times I went to more funerals than birthdays,” says McCollins, who is the clinical director of the School Based Health Center at Greenwood Academy in Richmond, Calif. And it took its toll: “I spent time homeless. I got expelled [from school]. I was so angry and upset and mad,” he says. Dennis McCollins Then a man that he met when he was sent to Job Corps as a teen turned...
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Prop. 64 Stakeholder Group: Prioritize Trauma-Informed Approach to Youth Substance Use Education, Prevention and Treatment
In November 2016, California voters legalized adult use and sales of cannabis, and authorized state excise taxes that are estimated to generate up to $1 billion in revenue for regulation, research, public safety, prevention and treatment. A group of stakeholders representing youth-serving organizations and agencies across the state has issued recommendations for use of the tax revenue allocated to youth substance use education, prevention and treatment that emphasize a trauma-informed approach.
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Proposed Changes to Sonoma County ACEs Connection Working Guidelines
Holly asked me to review the SCAC Working Guidelines we developed at the retreat and prepare a document for approval at the October meeting. I invite all members to send me any comments or suggestions regarding the current document. For the purposes of this vote, I am limiting proposed changes to only those issues where there is a discrepancy, disagreement or lack of clarity concerning an existing guideline. Any brand new guidelines should be proposed and adopted later. The current version...
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Proposed Changes to the SCAC Working Guidelines: Vote at October Meeting
At our October meeting, we will vote to approve a set of working guidelines for Sonoma County ACES Connection. Attached you will find a description of the recommended changes. Please read and be ready to discuss and vote on the proposed changes at our meeting on the 26th. How we developed these recommendations I had requested that SCAC members post any comments or concerns about the proposed guidelines. I received comments from a few persons and invited all of them to participate in an ad...
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Raizes Collective Invites You to: Celebrando la Vida or A Celebration of Life
My friend Isabel with Raizes Collective is putting together a special el Día de Muertos event, and invites you to sponsor an altar. (Sponsorship form attached.) The entire community is also invited to come out and celebrate during two special community events. Isabel writes: Raizes continues to be committed to making platforms for artists to mobilize and bring our community together to begin the process of healing through our arts and cultural programming. We are asking for your support by...
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REFB Establishes School Pantry Program at Roseland Elementary
Children and families that attend Roseland Elementary school will have access to an incredible array of foods through the new on-site food pantry. Each week over 100 families will be able to pick up 25lbs of food, including produce, meat and staples. It is staggering how many families must choose between paying rent or purchasing food. David Goodman, REFB Executive Director noted that "whatever happens to children at this point in their lives will affect them the rest of their lives". Read...
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Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
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Register Today!
Sign up NOW for an amazing conference! Registration is open - the fee includes parking, breakfast, lunch, materials, and CEUs! Space is limited, reserve your seat today! Learn more! Contact Carla Denner: 707-565-6626
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Early Experiences Can Alter Gene Expression and Affect Long-Term Development
Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child shared a provocative report: Early Experiences Can Alter Gene Expression and Affect Long-Term Development . "New scientific research shows that environmental influences can actually affect whether and how genes are expressed. Thus, the old ideas that genes are “set in stone” or that they alone determine development have been disproven. In fact, scientists have discovered that early experiences can determine how genes are turned on and off...
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Eleven state-specific profiles feature ACEs-related data and ACEs/trauma-informed/resilience-building initiatives
One of the resources shared with participants in the Sept. 13-14 convening of First Spouses in Milwaukee to address trauma was a series of state information sheets that featured data on ACEs prevalence and ACEs/trauma-informed/resilience-building initiatives. These one-pagers provided a succinct summary of state highlights on trauma that in some instances were well known to the First Spouses but for others, provided new information. In partnership with state trauma leaders, ACEs Connection...
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EQUITY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE & OVERCOMING ADVERSITY - Breakfast Event Sept 14 w/ USDC Judge Troy L. Nunley, Hanna Institute, Sonoma
Judge Nunley is a staunch advocate for children, especially the most vulnerable. He brings rich personal experience to his judicial role; he grew up in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco with a single mother, ultimately rising to one of the highest positions an American lawyer can occupy. SCHEDULE 7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Breakfast and Socialize 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Presentation, Discussion, Q&A EVENT DETAILS Thursday, Sept 14th, 2017 from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Hanna Boys Center...
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Federal funds awarded to Santa Rosa’s Catholic Charities to boost naturalization program (The Press Democrat)
By Nashelly Chavez, for The Press Democrat, October 1, 2019 Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa will ramp up its services for legal permanent residents who need help becoming citizens this month after the organization was awarded more than $237,000 in federal grant money, the nonprofit said. The Santa Rosa- based charity was one of 41 organizations across 24 states selected for the Citizenship and Assimilation Grants Program , which gives money to immigrant-serving organizations...
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Find out about events to observe the one-year anniversary of the October 2017 wildfires at SonomaCountyRecovers.org
You may have heard about a number of events that are planned around the county to observe the one-year anniversary of the October 2017 wildfires. A listing of these events can be found at SonomaCountyRecovers.org . The anniversary of our October 2017 fires is not just a typical day, it is a day where many may feel disillusioned and realize they are still working their grief. It is a day where while we might have to go to work, we have to remember to take care of ourselves and remember it is...