Shasta Regional Community Foundation, in partnership with Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency and First 5 Shasta, recently announced a first round of $195,000 in grant awards from the newly formed ACEs Resilience and Hope Fund of Shasta County. One SAFE Place, Happy Valley Union School District, Catalyst Mentoring, Youth Violence Prevention Council and Shasta County Chemical People will each receive awards with the goal to help mitigate or prevent the generational cycle of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Grant recipients will provide client screening, education and training for parents and families and support peer mentoring programs for students in all grades.
According to statistics obtained from the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency, data shows that Shasta County ACEs are double the state average with nearly 40% of the adults surveyed in Shasta County reporting 4 or more ACEs.
One of the grant recipients, Happy Valley Union School District, will be taking important steps to mitigate ACEs within their community. Schools often provide much more than places for learning and in the case of Happy Valley Union School District, parents will become students. With grant funds, a family liaison and behavior coach will facilitate a series of parenting classes relating to ACEs such as divorce, neglect, and abuse. These parents will build stronger relationships with their children and increase their protective capacity while building resiliency in students.
The Community Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Kerry Caranci states, “As a community, we’ve learned so much about Adverse Childhood Experiences and we know the detrimental impact they can have on a society. These grant dollars will be supporting projects that are innovative and individualized. We’re honored partners in this impactful work.”
Click HERE for a detailed list of the grant awards. For more information, contact Amanda Hutchings, Director of Community Impact, (530) 244-1219 or email amanda@cfnorthstate.org.
