A Season for Giving Thanks
As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this week, I wanted to express how thankful I am for each of you, for your support of the workgroup, and your desire to learn more about ACEs, how to prevent and address them, and what you can do to make the lives of families and children better in Arkansas. ACEs work can seem like a massive and daunting task, so I wanted to share with you two recent victories.
Rachel Hritz is a workgroup member and kindergarten teacher at Amboy Elementary in the North Little Rock School District. Because of her teaching, she can't make regular workgroup meetings, but she reads the weekly emails and participates when she can. Her desire to learn more about trauma-informed care prompted her to raise money through crowdfunding to attend a Conscious Discipline conference in October. She recently posted a photo of a sticky note on her computer that says, "He's not giving me a hard time. He's having a hard time." In her comments on the photo, she wrote, "I repeat this to myself several times a day now. ACEs and CD training has changed the way I teach for the best." Twenty-five kids in the NLRSD now have a teacher who has ACEs-aware and trauma-informed skills to help them navigate not only the classroom, but what they might experience at home and in the community. Next year, it will be 25 more. In 20 years, that's 500 children. It's important to remember that reaching and training one teacher may seem small, but the impact they can have is exponential.
Lorenzo Lewis, founder and director of The Confess Project, dropped us a note recently. His program to bring conversations about mental health to African-American men through barbershops has received national and international attention. Through a post about the project on ACEs Connection, he was invited to speak at a breakout session during the national ACEs conference in San Francisco this year. This is what he wrote about the experience:
Hello Daphne, Janie and Members of the Workgroup,
I take it that your day is going well. I wanted to shed some light and appreciation with you all for the success and strides I have been able to make since of being a part of the ACEs workgroup.
Being in San Francisco, and speaking was a highlight for sure. I learned a bunch and was able to network with potential partners from Sacramento, CA and Oklahoma City. In addition, I received a small grant for General Operating Support from The Blue Mountain Foundation. This all happened in a few days and I'm pleased to see what will happen next.
Also, I have connected with Dr. Kirk Leach from the UALR School of Public Policy. We will be gathering some interns to do some policy and governing work for my non-profit soon. We also reached out to Bowen School of Law to receive some support from them concerning Non-Profit Legal Matters.
All of this in just a few months, It is a joy that you all have accepted me, and my work has blossomed only because of the workgroup. I look forward to spreading the message of the benefits and great people that are apart of ACEs.
The message here for all of us -- myself included -- is that while we don't have something big and splashy to point to, to say "the workgroup did this," we're still doing good work. We're raising awareness, we're giving people the tools they need to do their jobs for the better, we're connecting people and organizations, and we're signal boosting and celebrating great, home-grown programs. No one person can do what we do -- it takes all of us, together.
Funding Opportunity: RWJF Culture of Health Leaders
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will open the latest application round for its Culture of Health Leaders program Jan. 11. From RWJF: "This is a leadership development opportunity for visionary individuals from all sectors and professions. Successful applicants value learning and collaboration, and want to increase their influence in building thriving communities where everyone has a fair shot at attaining the best possible health and well-being."
During the three-year program, Culture of Health Leaders will receive a $20,000 annual stipend, coaching and leadership development from a national training cadre, and implement a project in the third year. More information here.
Job Opportunity: Consultant for Excel to 8 Initiative
The Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is looking for a consultant to help provide technical assistance for communities participating in its Excel to 8 Initiative. Information about the opportunity is attached.
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