Blogs

“Four and a half years ago when I started Hope Heals, I helped two people. By the second year, I had helped 28. Then 321 in the third year. In 2016, I helped 2031 people, and in 2017, I helped 2131 people.” Hope Heals, now a bright light in the Walla Walla community and preparing for its first large fundraiser on Friday, has been growing exponentially since its conception. Yet it began as a faint lightbulb. On March 26th 2008, Dr. Robert Anda visited Walla Walla on behalf of CRI to present...

Tony McGuire- a member of Community Resilience Initiative, and an instructor for Walla Walla Community College at the Washington State Penitentiary- had divided his Building Maintenance class into random groups where white supremacists may be working on the same team as Native Americans. This choice was intentional; “there’s no affiliation on a job site, so you don’t get that here,” Tony told his students. Yet not long after the start of such teamwork, tools began flying. One student was...

“We’re all humans and we’re all going through the same things,” Kelsey Sisavath explains. “It’s important for everyone to know. It can change your perspective on how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you see the world.” The “it” Kelsey is talking about is trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) . She has a unique perspective on the topic given her range of experiences throughout her 19 years of life. The story...

Hello- CRI will be hosting its third "Beyond Paper Tigers" Conference June 27-28, 2018, with an opening social/network event on June 26 at the Red Lion Conference Center, Pasco WA. Please find details on our website: Beyond Paper Tigers Conference Schedule Our theme is relational trust and how we can create strong communities with trauma-informed approaches embedded throughout the community, across all sectors and in deep engagement with multiple partners.

Community Resilience Initiative's third Beyond Paper Tigers Conference is now open for registration! A social/network event kicks off the conference on June 26, with two full days of keynotes and breakout session June 27 and 28 at the Red Lion Hotel Conference Center in Pasco, WA. Our conference theme is the power of relationship--“the mutual and interdependent respect that results when people feel safe, believe that everyone has something to offer, and are confident that each person is...

Seated on a child-sized chair, Brooke Martin looks right at home. That’s intentional, she said. Martin is a social worker with the Walla Walla office of Child Protective Services. While her office is under the umbrella of Washington state’s Division of Children and Family Services, she works in the Walla Walla Police Department’s headquarters right next to a child-friendly forensic interview room. That’s the spot where most troubled kids 13 and younger in Walla Walla County end up talking...

Friends of Children of Walla Walla focuses on the well-being of children in the area, by providing school- and community-based programs that help youths socially and academically through one-on-one relationships. “We are purveyors of hope and resilience for kids,” said Jim Byrnes, executive director. Many children have adverse childhood experiences, called ACES, including verbal and physical violence, poverty, neglect, bullying and more. And many parents have their own set of emotional ACES...

To see the conference agenda, list of all-star speakers, and to register go to: http://www.theresourceinnovationgroup.org/california-2018-conference/

What can be better than dinner together and mindful art as a way to express our feelings! Walla Walla families left with smiles on their faces and wet canvases in hand after spending a delightful two hours with Brigette Phillips https://www.facebook.com/mindfulart2016/ and the CRI Team, creating beauty. Breathing buddies, feelings charts, and "how do I feel" were additional activities available for the children (one youngster actually drew 28 "faces" of how he feels!). Thanks to Brigette for...

It was a great honor to be recognized by the Walla Walla County Commissioners for our community-wide work in mobilizing action for a resilient community. This is the first proclamation by the county, and it was initiated through the efforts of Michael Bates, director of the Department of Court Services, Juvenile Justice Center (JJC). Mike has been involved throughout the development of Walla Walla's response to ACEs through resilience, and was one of the first partners to implement...

If you follow our blog, you know we are celebrating "October as Resilience Awareness Month." One event which took place last night taught me the value of positive attitude, a stiff upper lip, and how to have fun while in the brainstem! Valley Residential Services, one of our strong CRI partners, had their "Dancing with the WW2 Stars." Nancy Riggle, VRS Executive Director, asked me to help out. How do you say "no" to someone like Nancy? You don't!! I chose neither the song, the dance, the...

The kick-off event for our Resilience Awareness community campaign started with the Mayor Allen Pomraning signing a proclamation at the Walla Walla City Council session September 27th. The Proclamation noted CRI's focus on the help, healing and hope that comes when a community understands the impact trauma can have, and how together, we support each other by building stronger connections across all domains and sectors. With a yard sign in hand, members of the CRI planning team celebrated...