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The Diocese of Palm Beach states as its mission “the Church of Palm Beach will strive to discern God’s will in satisfying the spiritual, moral, sacramental, educational, and basic needs of all people, with justice, respecting the dignity of each person.” Considering the landmark ACE Study by Drs. Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda (1998) which linked childhood adversity with health and well-being throughout the lifespan, and understanding that childhood trauma has been identified as the single...

In my grant proposal, I am asking for funds to create and fuel a trauma-informed prenatal care community class for pregnant women in Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Putnam, and Union counties that focuses on primary level prevention of ACEs. In my proposal, I focus on the importance of incorporating the skills learned from implementing trauma-informed principles into every day life, and the importance of ensuring the baby arrives in a stable, safe, and nurturing environment. Enforcing primary...

My grant proposal requests funds to support activities for carrying out programs that build resilience (Zolkoski & Bullock, 2012). Also, the grant programs will build self-efficacy among subsidized housing recipients to eliminate intergenerational poverty. Programs that will provide mentoring – including proper nutrition and entrepreneurship training, as well as professional development are a primary focus. Poverty in Florida exists in concentrated areas (Williamson, Smith, &...

Demographic data for Putnam County, FL 1 indicates that residents likely carry an inordinate burden of exposure to adverse childhood events (ACEs), which can foster negative outcomes that cycle throughout generations. This proposed intervention will begin to break that cycle by providing eight weekly workshops at three locations for pregnant women throughout the county. These workshops will address the participants’ own traumatic life experiences while also helping them to protect their...

As evidenced in the literature, it is clear that Native American children experience more Adverse Childhood Experiences than other groups, including non-Hispanic whites [1]. Native American children are more than twice as likely to grow up in a household where one or both parents use drugs and/ or alcohol [1]. Additionally, NA children are more than three times as likely to have lived with a parent who has been incarcerated, and are seven times as likely to have been treated unfairly due to...

There is a high rate of child abuse and neglect in Alachua County, and this school-based intervention will target children ages 5-11 in public elementary schools in Alachua County. The intervention will allow students to: learn more about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), discuss some of their worries, and build their resilience. Trained professionals will facilitate activities, discussions, and reflections among the students (and occasionally the parents) while utilizing five out of the...

The University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions partnered with Peace4Tarpon under the Robert Wood Johnson Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) grant funding period and have sustained their strong community-academic partnership. Together they created a 9-credit online graduate certificate in trauma-informed and resilience-based public health. Peace4Gainesville also contributed to this certificate. This post is intended to showcase some of the work of...