Tagged With "Path to Hope Live"
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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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Policymaker Education Day Registration STILL OPEN!
Registration is still OPEN for another week to the second annual Policymaker Education Day hosted by the California Campaign to Counter Childhood Adversity (4CA) in Sacramento on May 22nd! Don't miss this opportunity to be able to share your thoughts and expertise with your Assemblymember or Senator on how to address childhood adversity in your communities. Guest speakers include Assemblymember Dr. Arambula of Fresno County, Ted Lempert of Children Now and Sarah Pauter of Phenomenal...
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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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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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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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Redwood Empire Food Bank offers a DRIVE-THROUGH food distribution
The Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB) is offering a special drive-through distribution to our community this week. Station 3990 distribution will be open today, Wednesday, October 18th through Saturday, October 21st from 10:00am-4:00pm at the REFB station house: 3990 Brickway Boulevard, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. Station 3990 is a food distribution created in response to the devastating fires in our region. The REFB assembled the resou rces necessary to make emergency food available to those...
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Register now: Free ACEs Connection Webinar on the Human Impact of Climate Change
A year after 85 people died in the wildfire that swept through Paradise, CA, and nearby towns, one of the town’s survivors will talk about how she and others are using resilience practices in their recovery from the trauma. On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Paradise resident Kelly Doty will have a conversation with Elaine Miller-Karas, who developed the Community Resiliency Model (CRM). Doty, who lost her home in the fire, and Miller-Karas will discuss resilience education skills designed to help...
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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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Election is OPEN: Sonoma County ACEs Connection Steering Committee
Dear ACEs Connection Members, We would like to invite you to formally participate in the election process for the ACEs Connection Coalition Steering Committee. Please use this link to complete your e-ballot: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/scacelection Our next meeting will be on September 27th. We will be meeting at a new proposed time from 3:30-5:00 and currently in the works on a new location. Please note the following deadlines: September 8 - Elections Close September 27 – ACEs Connection...
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Entrepreneur Akash Kalia Converts Motel into Shelter for Homeless, Veterans (indiawest.com)
A young Indian American has converted his parents’ struggling motel in Santa Rosa, Calif., into a 104-room facility to provide housing for chronically homeless people and veterans, the first such center in the nation. Akash Kalia, 24, will be honored by the city of Santa Rosa Apr. 25, at its 35 th annual Merit Awards ceremony. Kalia will receive a community service merit award . “A hundred people don’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep tonight,” Kalia told India-West . “This...
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Excellent resource related to fire recovery!
https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/northbay/sonomacounty/8612421-181/kaiser-hope-1-million-grant
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First 5 CA 2018 Child Health, Education, and Care Summit - Call for Presentations Now Open!
Share Your Knowledge, Ideas, and Experience! SUBMIT PROPOSAL HERE First 5 California is now accepting proposals for its 2018 Child Health, Education, and Care Summit on April 10-12, 2018, at the Hilton Los Angeles North/Glendale. Participants are eager to attend unique sessions that are innovative, interactive, and engaging . We are seeking sessions that delve into the Summit focus areas and goals with specific learning objectives. We hope you will consider submitting a proposal. Summit...
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For the January Meeting: This is Who We Are
Over the last several months, Sonoma County ACEs Connections (SCAC) has been struggling to develop organizational guidelines and committees. We have attempted to adopt them on several occasions but have not been able to agree on a plan. This has been especially frustrating for some of us, because back in November of 2015, SCAC voted to adopt a group of committees. For a variety of reasons however, folks keep wanting to reinvent that wheel. I am proposing one more attempt to discuss our...
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Foster families needed in Sonoma [Sonoma Index-Tribune]
Staff Report, July 28, 2019, Sonoma Index-Tribune Every day, 50 to 75 Sonoma County children and teens need a safe place to live. There is currently an urgent need for foster parents and adoptive families to open their homes to local foster children, according to the county’s Sonoma Foster Care agency. Local families can learn more about foster parenting at Explore Foster Parenting, a one-hour discussion held monthly, 6 to 7 p.m., at 2255 Challenger Way, Suite 100, Santa Rosa. The dates for...
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FREE Evening at CPI Making a Difference During Disaster
Please join the Child Parent Institute for an evening supporting our children and families affected by the fires in our community. FREE! Friday October 20, 2017 from 4 to 7PM 3650 Standish Ave Santa Rosa, CA 95407 This a drop-in event, completely free of charge, please come visit us any time between the hours of 4pm - 7pm. Children and adults can participate in art projects to thank all the agencies that helped fight the firestorm throughout Sonoma County. Our counselors will be onsite and...
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FREE Fire Recovery Groups & Events at Child Parent Institute
Child Parent Institute is inviting parents who have lost their homes to the North Bay fires to participate in parenting groups that teach about the progression of post-disaster recovery. By gathering in a forum with others who have endured a similar experience, participants have been receiving support, empathy, and resources, and gaining strength, hope, and concrete strategies. Parents are able to safely process their own experiences and share insights about guiding their children. As...
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Free of Violation of Rights - Legal Imperatives That Could Address the Impact of ACEs
Last week, I took a call from a passionate suicide prevention advocate, James Gallant who wanted to discuss an approach for reducing ACEs. "Do you assess kids with disabilities for violations of their legal rights?" James asked. I was stumped at how to answer this, and didn't immediately see the connection to ACEs. But as James went on to share his expertise on the subject, I felt more compelled to find out what we are doing locally. James makes the case that kids with an ACE score of 1 are...
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Free Screening of "Resilience" in Napa March 7, 9 -11 am
Cope Family Center and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Napa County are partnering with Napa County Probation Department to screen "Resilience: The Biology of Stress & Science of Hope" next Wednesday, March 7 from 9-11 am as part of a community wide initiative, Resilient Napa, to raise awareness of adverse childhood experiences and the power of resilience. Please register here . The screening will be followed by a conversation between attendees and panelists present to answer...
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Free screenings of Resilience, Paper Tigers April 13, 27 in San Rafael, CA
"Volunteers-4-Youth" is pleased to announce the showing of two important films that explore factors that affect the wellbeing of young people. Resilience View Trailer HERE and Paper Tigers View Trailer HERE These films are free of charge and open to all people who work with and are concerned about the future of our youth. To attend, you need to sign up through the Brown Paper Tickets link (see below). Please sign up soon, as seating is limited. Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the...
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From Awareness to Action, with Voices of Lived Experience: Wisconsin’s Collective Impact Initiative
Perhaps it wasn’t the optimum time to update the network’s vision and values statements: a virtual meeting held in the midst of a global pandemic. But a record number of people—51, compared to the typical 30—tuned in for the May 1 Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) Collective Impact Council, and they gave the new values statement, which highlights inclusivity and collaboration, an enthusiastic thumbs-up. At the virtual table were members from key state departments—Children...
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Healing with Yoga
Did you know that yoga can reduce stress and heal the mind, body, and soul? Let me explain how yoga can prevent, treat, and heal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and toxic stress. In my personal experience as a Sonoma County preschool teacher, I noticed many children, parents, and teachers in our program had very high levels of stress and anxiety. We all live busy lives and tend to focus on the next activity instead of the one at hand. So I decided to try yoga. I started doing yoga with...
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Health Action to Discuss Addressing Trauma After a Disaster on Friday 12/1/17
Health Action staff writes: "Last month brought an unprecedented catastrophe to Sonoma County and to our neighboring Northern California counties. We want to express our condolences to those of you personally affected by this disaster. We know that many of you and your staff have been directly impacted by the fires, yet you continue to provide relief and services even in the face of your own personal losses. Thank you for all of the work that you and your organizations have done and will...
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Health at risk for Sonoma County tenants in poor living conditions [PressDemocrat.com]
The effect of squalid housing on people’s health is difficult to determine in Sonoma County because there is no study, stockpile of data or government agency that tracks illness in connection with living environments. Though doctors and scientists are building consensus through research, the connection remains largely anecdotal, witnessed by physicians or reported by tenants’ rights advocates on a case-by-case basis, The Press Democrat found as part of a yearlong investigation...
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helping inmates with children transition back into society
October 28, 2015 UW team to lead research efforts on initiative for incarcerated parents Deborah Bach The University of Washington will play a key role in a new initiative aimed at helping inmates with children transition back into...
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Hidden in Plain Sight & Why Eliminating Health Inequalities Should be a Top Priority
Pete Golis wrote an editorial piece in this weekend's paper highlighting a local research brief of sorts many of us might never hear about, but all of us can benefit from reading. " Hidden in Plain Sight " (scribed by the Sonoma County Community Foundation) paints a picture of the "growing, graying, and diversifying" Sonoma Valley. The report introduction begins with this compelling invitation to consider the assets and challenges: "American philanthropy is in the midst of an historic...
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How collaboration helps clinic in San Mateo County, CA, tackle ACEs in children
Dr. Elizabeth Grady is a pediatrician at the South San Francisco Clinic, a community clinic of San Mateo Medical Center. She and Susana Flores , a senior public health nurse with San Mateo County Health, spoke with me about how the clinic and other health agencies in San Mateo have been able to craft ways to work together to prevent and heal toxic stress in children. Grady also talked about how she and Flores have been working with the Resilient Beginnings Collaborative (RBC), a group of...
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How Early Experiences Get into the Body: A Biodevelopmental Framework
Excellent graphic representation of the roots of early childhood experiences across the life course. Attached is a printable version. Copied below is one of several images from the document. " This biodevelopmental framework highlights the shared early childhood roots of lifelong outcomes in learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health. An integrated approach to addressing disparities in those outcomes offers a promising opportunity to devise interventions that attack societal...
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REMINDER: SCAC Monthly Meeting 2.26.20!
This is a friendly reminder that our Sonoma County ACEs Connection (SCAC) meeting is today [2.26.20] at 3:30 . Please plan to attend, and bring a friend too! A simple agenda is attached and we can amend it when we come together today. Did you know that since our last meeting ..... Partnership Medi-Cal Managed Care announced an expansion of its substance use disorder services in Sonoma County. Plus, they are building a Wellness and Recovery Program in several N CA counties - but not yet...
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Request for Proposal Announcement - Trauma Informed Care Consultant
Valley of the Moon Childrens Home is looking for a consultant to helpstaff transition to a 10-day stay shelter by 2017. Valley of the Moon wants to incorporate the latest research on trauma informed care intotheir program design and staff training. See attached documents for further details or contact: Briana Downey Program Planning & Evaluation Analyst Valley of the Moon Children's Center 112 Children's Circle Santa Rosa, CA 95409 (707) 565-4348 bdowney@schsd.org...
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Request For Proposal Resource Family Training Services
You are invited to participate in a County of Sonoma solicitation. Review this information and use the URL below to login and bid on this solicitation. RFP Resource Family Training Services Description: The County of Sonoma is pleased to invite you to respond to a Request for Proposals for Resource Family Training Services. The Family, Youth & Children’s Services (FY&C) Division within the County of Sonoma Human Services Department is seeking a single qualified entity to provide a...
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Resource List - Trauma Informed Approaches and Autism Spectrum and Other Developmental Disabilities
Resources for individuals, organizations, and communities moving along trauma and hope-informed pathways in order to: Prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promote resilience and safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Promote equity and racial justice. Prevent substance abuse and promote mental health. … so that all children, youth, families and communities have equal opportunity for educational success, economic stability, health, and well-being.
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Rising from the Ashes: How Trauma-Informed Care Nurtures Healing in Rural America [The Rural Monitor]
By Jenn Lukens April 17, 2019 It was late July 2018 when the Mendocino Complex wildfire broke out in rural Lake County, California. It burned more than 450,000 acres and destroyed 280 structures before it was contained. Ana Santana managed to fill some storage bins with sentimental items – her kids’ blankets, pictures, and art projects – before fleeing her home. Santana is the facilitator of the Lake County Children’s Council and Program Director for Healthy Start Youth and Family Services ,...
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Roseland Library Lives On! [Sonoma County Gazette]
By Duane Dewitt, July 29, 2019 for the Sonoma County Gazette Roseland Community Library Will Live On into the Future Roseland Library will host a “Veterans Connect Pop up”Providing information about benefits available to them Thursday August 15 Roseland Community Library will live on into the future. “The Sonoma County Library has signed a six-year lease on a building at 470 Sebastopol Road, across the street from the current temporary library.” according to Ray Holley of the Sonoma County...
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San Francisco Dept of Public Health Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative
I thought you might be interested in taking a look at the 2014 year in review from the SF Dept of Public Health's Trauma-Informed Systems Initiative. It's attached, below. The Department made the commitment to train all of its 9,000 staff...
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Santa Barbara Presents 2nd Annual Bridges to Resilience Conference on October 16
Sonoma County ACEs Connection members are supporting the: 2nd Annual Bridges to Resilience on October 16 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm We hope to learn from our sister community, and invite local folks to consider participating in this well planned event. Jane Steves, ACEs Connection, will serve as the Key Note, and I'll share our local lessons learned as part of a panel discussion. Details below: Santa Barbara County Children’s System of Care presents… Bridges to Resilience: Building a...
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Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in an Integrated Pediatric Care Model
The Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) is a clinical research center located in Bayview Hunters Point, that was created in response to the medical understanding that early adverse traumas can harm the developing brain and bodies of our children. They operate on the mission to improve the health of children and adolescents exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The CYW has collaborated with the Bayview Child Health Center (BCHW) to develop tools and methodologies for early detection...
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Self-Healing Communities Model
“The Self-Healing Communities Model (SHCM) builds the capacity of communities to intentionally generate new cultural norms and thereby improve health, safety and productivity for current and future generations.” This model was implemented in Washington State and was successful in improving rates of many interrelated and intergenerational health and social problems by investing in the people at risk. They worked to reduce and prevent the root of the issue being Adverse Childhood Experiences...
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Senator Mike McGuire to host Telephone Town Hall Wed May 20 at 6:30 pm
We’re working with all levels of government to ensure a unified approach to the coronavirus response here in Sonoma County and that the needs of our communities are being met. We also want to make sure you have the latest, most accurate information from the medical professionals who are on the front lines combating this virus and how you can best protect yourself and your family. As part of these efforts, we are partnering with the County of Sonoma to host a Telephone Town Hall this...
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Sharing two ACEs-related references
Karen Clemmer sent the following as an email yesterday: Dear Sonoma County ACES Connection members, Since our last meeting, a couple items that might be of interest have come across my desk and both frame ACES around a Life Course perspective! ...
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Simple Resilience Tips
(This is a written version of a presentation I gave at our January Meeting.) For the past year, Sonoma County ACEs Connection worked to make more people aware of Adverse Childhood Experiences. But especially after the big fires, it feels important to also talk about resilience. I want to start a discussion about simple resilience techniques that anyone could apply in their work, social and/or personal life. This is not new information, because the best resilience methods have been used by...
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So. Co. Behavioral Health and Health Services in the county jail [Community Voice]
The Sonoma County Civil Grand jury recently released two reports related to their review of the County’s Behavioral Health Division (BHD) 2018-2019 budget and an inspection of the Jail’s Main Adult Detention Facility ( MADF ) health care resources and services. The jury commended the Sheriff’s Office for doing a job “it was not designed to do and doing so competently.” This includes providing inmates with opportunities for adult education and implementing a Jail-Based Competency Restoration...
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Soco Rises Updates 7.16.18
SOCO RISES UPDATES... Summit Video is now available! If you happened to miss the excellent speakers and discussion that occurred at our Summit on Equity, Recovery, & Resilience, or would like to refer back to some of the advice and experience shared by our guests, a full recording is now available on the Summit website. Choose from one speaker's presentation, the question & answer panel, or the entire summit. You can also view the results from the audience participation activities...
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Solano County launches its ACEs and resilience initiative inviting all to take action
Elizabeth Huntley recalls the day when her family’s life was turned upside down. “One day my mom woke up and she packed up all of our clothes, all five of us…and she took me and my younger sister who had the same father… down to my paternal grandmother’s house…and she left us there. She took my middle sister to a town near Birmingham, Ala., and left her there. She took my only brother and an older sister back to Huntsville and left them at a sister’s house. Then she went back to that housing...
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Solano County's (CA) ACEs initiative, a robust community effort, makes room for input from all
In a house called “Johanna’s House” on a tree-lined side street in Vallejo, Calif., four women are filling out the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) survey given to them by Maria Guevara, the founder of Vallejo Together, an organization that serves homeless residents in Vallejo. The house was named for Johanna Dilag, a homeless woman who was found dead along with her dog.
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Sonoma Community Resilience Collaborative
Hello Friends— We hope that you and your families are safe and staying well! These past few weeks have been tough on our community. The power outages, Kincade fire, and evacuations have profoundly affected our individual emotional and physical health, our social functioning, our overall well-being, and the health and security of our community. The Sonoma Community Resilience Collaborative has trained over 200 people from our community to deliver FREE mind-body skills to build the social...
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Sonoma County ACEs Activity Timeline
Hello, I just wanted to share with everyone this activity timeline that I put together! This timeline looks at all the action and awareness we have spread around Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resiliency throughout our community over the past few years. Thank you all for the wonderful work you do in our community!