Renée Wilson-Simmons—founder of Healing Trauma, Reclaiming Joy—counts on PACEs Connection to be 'a catalyst for cultivating the PACEs movement.'

^{Renée Wilson-Simmons discusses the book "The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity" with author Dr. Nadine Burke Harris at the Columbia University, New York City, NY, Mailman School of Public Health in 2018.}

Note: PACEs Connection is in dire financial straits. We need you, our almost 58,000 members, to help cover the loss of foundation funding that was promised and did not come through. Unfortunately, staff pay and hours have had to be cut; most of us have been laid off for the month of December. The good news is that, since sounding the alarm this summer, we’ve raised more than $50,000. Thank you to all who’ve donated. To get a sense of who is donating and why, please read and share this sixth in a series of donor profiles. Please join Rene’e Simmons-Wilson and make a generous donationto PACEs Connection!

"In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams,” says Renée Wilson-Simmons, DrPH, a longtime user and supporter of PACEs Connection, and a lover of proverbs.

“I love the ability of a proverb to pack so much wisdom into one sentence. I hope this proverb urges all members to ‘build bridges’ in this moment of crisis, to ensure the continued operation of PACEs Connection and its work to support people, organizations, systems and communities to accelerate the use of PACEs science, and to step up from being members to being financial supporters,” she says.

Wilson-Simmons is matter-of-fact about her support.

“I think it’s indisputable that PACEs Connection has been central to advancing PACEs science,” said Wilson-Simmons, founder and principle of Healing Trauma, Reclaiming Joy. The organization offers consultations, presentations, keynotes, training, and technical assistance to help cultivate a deeper understanding of ACES, trauma, and toxic stress; their psychological, physiological, emotional, and social impact; and strategies for fostering healing and resilience that promotes the well-being of children, their families, and their communities.

Throughout the last decade, Wilson-Simmons has turned to PACEsConnection.com daily—if not several times a day!

“Through its Daily Digest and Weekly Roundup, as well as its website, PACEs Connection serves as a beacon for those committed to learning about both adverse and positive childhood experiences, and working to advocate for or implement practices, programs, and policies that are both trauma-informed and resilience-building,” she says.

”PACEs Connection is not only shining a light on the latest relevant news, research, and legislation, but also on webinars and conferences. The fact that there are over 57,000 network members speaks volumes about the importance of PACEs Connection and its impact as a catalyst for cultivating the PACEs movement.”

Improving lives and futures

“Back about 10 years ago, when I first learned of the original ACE Study (CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study),” says Wilson-Simmons, “I was intrigued by the findings and began seeking out additional information, which led to many ‘Aha’ moments and a desire to put what I was learning into action. It was during that time that I first discovered PACEs Connection, which was then ACEs Connection.”

As director of the National Center for Children in Poverty, Wilson-Simmons became a founding member of Trauma-Free NYC. The initiative, based at Columbia University, was established in partnership with the NYC Administration for Children Services to identify and promote trauma-informed practices and policies.

That work led her to Memphis, Tennessee, where she served as executive director of the ACE Awareness Foundation, which developed and supported innovative strategies to prevent trauma and toxic stress or lessen its negative effects.

“We also worked to decrease the stigma of seeking mental health support, and promoted local and state systems change that advanced prevention efforts,” she says. The foundation worked with Shelby County Schools, Tennessee’s largest public school district and among the 25 largest districts in the U.S., to provide training and technical assistance in the promotion of the social-emotional health of students and school staff.

“My go-to place.”

“In all of that work, as well as during my time as a board member of the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP), PACEs Connection has been my go-to place for all things related to PACEs science,” she says.

“The PACEs Connection Daily Digest is the first thing I read in the morning and I come back to it frequently during the day. For me, it’s essential reading. It has helped me build relationships with like-minded folks, read and share inspiring and thought-provoking stories, and plan strategy for taking action,” Wilson-Simmons adds.

Can PACEs science change the world?

“There is so much that can be achieved via PACEs science that will truly change the world,” she notes. These are just a few of the changes she hopes to see:

ACEs screenings will be routine for children, capitalizing on critical opportunities for prevention, early detection, and intervention, and reducing the accumulation of exposures to adversity and the risk for negative health outcomes.
All institutions and organizations serving the public will understand the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in their clients as well as staff, and be able to respond by fully integrating that knowledge into policies, procedures, and practices while successfully avoiding re-traumatization.
Effective actions will be taken to address climate change. Our health and well-being are inextricably linked to our natural environment. The climate crisis—living through traumatic climate disasters like wildfires, extreme storms, or deadly heat waves and fearing for the future of our planet— is harming our mental health in significant ways and disrupting community life.

Providing financial support is essential to the survival of PACEs Connection! How can we not?

Wilson-Simmons adds urgency to the request for donations to PACEs Connection with a couple of key questions:

How can we, as a community committed to fostering the healthy development of all human beings, not donate to an organization that has been a leader in accelerating the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences?
How can we not support an organization that has been instrumental in creating a home base for people looking to connect with like-minded peers?

“Whether your interest is PACES in maternal health or early childhood or foster care; whether you want to know more about addiction and recovery or parenting with PACEs or trauma-informed libraries; whether you’re a member of a school system, a faith-based community, the juvenile or criminal justice system, or the medical community, there is a place for you in the PACEs Connection family, and much information to share and relationships to be forged,” she says.

Wilson-Simmons encourages fellow members of PACEs Connection to join her in making a generous, tax-deductible donation to PACEs Connection here.

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