Monthly meeting notes

(For a picture-filled and engaging version of these notes, please see the attachment.) 4-26-17 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Holly White-Wolfe started us off with a meditation app (voice recording) that was shared at the MARC Gathering in Philadelphia. This “mindful moment” encouraged us to focus on our breath, noticing the rise and fall of our chest as a way to center ourselves throughout the day Nick Dalton from the...

(For a picture-filled and engaging version of these notes, please see the attachment.) 03-22-17 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Kate Jenkins started us off by inviting us to close our eyes and focus on being present in the moment. This “mindful moment” encouraged us to focus on our breath, while also paying attention to the different sensations that were occurring in our body. Javier Rivera-Rosales from Positive Images...

(For a picture-filled and engaging version of these notes, please see the attachment.) 02-22-17 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Kate Jenkins started us off with a prompt to learn five things about two of our neighbors in the room. This “mindful moment” encouraged us to focus on listening, while also paying attention to the different sensations that were occurring in our body and mind. Were we focused on what we wanted to...

(For a picture-filled and engaging version of these notes, please see the attachment.) 01-25-17 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Allen Nishikawa graciously warmed washcloths for each member of the coalition to encourage a traditional Japanese “mindful moment” of washing the face and hands with a steaming cloth. Allen offered this in a gesture of showing care for those who often serve as caretakers and may benefit from...

(For a graphically engaging version of these notes, please see the attachment.) Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Dory Escobar invited the group to take a mindful moment by listening to a “reflection” or short tale with a powerful message about intentions. Grace Harris welcomed the group, and gave a brief overview of the folks that assemble each month. Sonoma County ACEs Connection is a growing community coalition, with...

(For a colorful version with graphics, please see the attached .pdf.) 10/26/16 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Jessica Hackwell invited the group to take a mindful moment to listen to a “reflection” or short tale with a powerful message about intentions. Briana Downey welcomed the group to the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home and talked briefly about the Trauma Informed Journey taking place through this residential...

(Please see attachment for a colorful and engaging version of these minutes.) Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Today, we started the meeting with a mindfulness activity where we used our sense of smell and touch (but not sight!) to explore an object. Tuning into our senses is an easy mindfulness activity we can incorporate into our daily life. Ellen Bauer shared a brief overview of the “ Self-Healing Communities ” model...

(Please see the attachment for a nicely formatted version of these minutes.) 5/25/16 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Friends, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Today, we started the meeting with a meditation for our mindful moment with Kate Jenkins . With just a few breaths and a focus on our intentions, we found improved focus for our meeting. Grace Harris led a discussion around the concept of “Trauma-Informed Care.” Folks turned to their neighbor and shared...

Thanks to all of the members who contributed to our Strategic Planning Session on 6/29/16. The engaging agenda is attached to this post, as is the presentation on the scope of the problem of ACE's in Sonoma County. Our fabulous facilitator, Selena Polston (Innovation Team Program Manager for Public Health) captures some of our meeting highlights in these notes: ACES Connection Retreat: Developing a Vision Statement Wednesday, June 29, 2016 Elsie Allen High School What Makes A Great Vision...

Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. We had a great turnout given many partners also planned to attend the Blue Ribbon Child Abuse Prevention luncheon the next day! Today, we started the meeting with a meditation for our mindful moment . Sue Stephenson introduced us to the Tonglen meditation of breathing in suffering and breathing out compassion. With just a few breaths and a focus on our intentions, we were all quickly grounded in the compassion-centered work that...

(Please see the attachment for the version with photos and colors - it is much more visually interesting!) 3/23/16 Dear Sonoma County ACEs Connection Enthusiasts, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. Today, we started the meeting with a quiet mindful moment . Susan Barnett-Hampson led us in a short meditation, using her soothing, slow voice to ground us in the present moment. A few deep breaths and positive affirmations can help us refocus whenever needed! “ A...

(See the attachment for a colorful version with photos.) Dear Sonoma County ACES Connection Enthusiasts, Thank you to all that participated in today’s ACES meeting. We packed the City View Rooms and showed a team of grant evaluators a great display of passion fueled by our local network. Today, we started the meeting with a quiet mindful moment . Kate offered everyone a raisin and led is in eating it slowly and consciously. Kate reminded us how taking time to deeply observe eating is a...