Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)Committee Seeking Community Ambassadors

By: Gregg Dowty, Ed. D.
Member, Rotary District 7780 Recovery Initiative Committee
RC of Dover, NH

Two years ago, Rotary Clubs of Seacoast NH and Southern Maine came together to help bring Adverse Childhood Experiences or (ACES) Master Training to our region. The ACEs Study revealed that adverse childhood experiences contributed to increased health problems, behavioral difficulties and substance use issues among other lifelong challenges.

Would your club like a speaker about ACEs or the Community Ambassador Program?

Pinetree Institute of Eliot, ME brought this work to the region with Rotary support. Six of the thirty Master Trainers are Rotarians. We have committed to sharing this information and creating awareness of the impact of ACES on the developing child and what we as communities can do to create positive childhood experiences to counteract the trauma created by ACEs.

A presentation has been developed especially for Rotary Clubs to present this important topic and to update clubs which supported the initial training. Also, the opportunity now exists for Community Ambassadors, an extension of the Master Training, to become involved in community education and awareness. If your club is interested in a presentation on Adverse Childhood Experiences or the Community Ambassador Program, please contact me at gdowty60@gmail.com or Pinetree Institute at www.pinetreeinstitute.org