The afternoon turned from rainy to sunny outside the 100-year-old farmhouse in Winters while eight members of the NorCal ACErs engaged in a captivating discussion about what drew each of us to devote some or most of our time to implementing ACE concepts. (In photo above, left to right, Connie Valentine, Dave Lockridge, Sue Lockridge. In background, partially shown, Barbara Stern and Bruce McCulley.)
Sue Lockridge, director of medical staff services at Merced's Mercy Hospital, and Dave Lockridge, an ex-pastor who's marrying ACE concepts with Bible studies, drove 2.5 hours from Merced. Bruce McCulley, who runs a company that produces educational training videos and did the first video interviews with Drs. Felitti and Anda, traveled 2 hours from Nevada City. Barbara Stern is a marriage and family counselor who's soon retiring from counseling at a Waldorf School in Sacramento, and plans to integrate ACE concepts into education for parents-to-be.
Connie Valentine, who told me about the ACE Study in 2004, and was a founding member of the Incest Survivors Speakers Bureau (ISSB), is now working with the California Protective Parents Association. Andrea Ransdell is also a founding member of the ISSB and organizes the annual conference on child sex abuse; this year's takes place on April 28 in Davis. Cherie Porter, a consultant to nonprofits and who was involved in foster care for decades, is now helping develop the ACEs Too High Network.
We spent some time talking about what the network could do. One aspect was to connect people who are working on similar projects. We already see that occurring behind the scenes in the network. Another way is to set up groups, and, as a result of that discussion, Dave set up a Faith-Based Connection group.
We also think there's already a need for a group that focuses on how ACEs can be integrated communty-wide -- this is based on the work that Robin Saenger began in Tarpon Springs, FL; the Children's Resilience Initiative in Walla Walla, WA; that Xochitl Salvador mentioned she's doing on Chicago's West Side; and Dave's work in Merced County, CA.
Another was that the network could facilitate members to begin having conversations about identifying key local, state, and regional policies that would be key to integrating ACE concepts. ACE concepts include trauma-informed care and trauma-sensitive classrooms, in all organizations, including businesses.
Our more-than-two-hour conversation flew by. Our next meeting is scheduled for June 3, and we're looking for a NorCal ACEr in the immediate San Francisco Bay Area to host the meeting. Anyone interested??
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