Cobb Collaborative

Cobb Collaborative extends our best wishes for a HAPPY HANUKKAH to all who celebrate! Chag Urim Sameach!

Good morning, Cobb Collaborative!

Our next to last podcast episode of 2023 is available this morning. In Episode 59 of of Mind Your Mind Speaks podcast, you will hear a conversation between Cobb Collaborative Executive Director, Irene Barton, and Alli Neal, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Revved Up Kids. A tireless volunteer and advocate for over 20 years, Alli is committed to the Revved Up Kids mission of equipping children and teens to be safer from sexual abuse and exploitation.

Listen to this episode and view show notes and links by visiting: bit.ly/MYMS-EP59

As always, THANK YOU for listening to our podcast and for helping us grow our podcast listenership! We value your support and would very much appreciate likes, comments and shares to further the reach of the podcast. Also, Apple podcast listeners, please subscribe and leave a 5* rating for us here: apple.co/3FYVeLS

All Mind Your Mind Speaks episodes with show notes and links can be found on our website at cobbcollaborative.org/podcast

Today, we held the Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting and Human Services Awards luncheon — a time-honored tradition and a favorite event for us at the Cobb Collaborative. It once again left us with full hearts as we joined with our members and community partners to network, share a meal and honor this year's truly outstanding Human Services Awards nominees and winners.

CONGRATULATIONS to this year's winners:
Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Award Winner - Volunteer Category: Barry Krebs, volunteer for South Cobb Lions Club

Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Award Winner - Professional Category: Laurie Ann Wong, Founder and CEO of Reflections of Trinity

William Hanson Collaboration Award: Kim Scofi of United Military Care

Howard Koepka Collaborative Spirit Award: First Christian Church of Mableton

We would like to thank all who attended and made this year's event a tremendous success. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the following:
• Cobb Community Foundation for sponsoring and co-presenting this year's event.
• Piedmont Church for graciously hosting this event again this year.
• All organizations who submitted nominations to recognize individuals and other organizations who go above and beyond.
• ALL Cobb Collaborative members, partners and community supporters for your engagement, involvement and support which are instrumental in helping to improve outcomes for children and families in Cobb County.

Early literacy is important for ALL children. If you have a young child in your life, make time each day to read with them. It is never too early or too late to begin reading to children.

There are many tremendous benefits to reading together, including:

💞 Bonding
💬 Language Development
📖 Literacy Skill Building
🧠 Brain Development
👂 Listening skills
🎨 Creativity
📚 A Love of Reading

To give an idea of how reading can add up...

⏰ 15 minutes of daily reading with a child adds up to 27,375 reading minutes in just FIVE years! That is 456.25 hours of quality time that has significant benefits to last a lifetime.
📚 By reading just ONE book a day with your child, they will have read 1,095 books in three years. By reading just three books a day you will have read over 1,000 books in just one year with your child.

Investing time in reading with children each day produces life-long benefits and creates better outcomes for children and families! Learn more about our Literacy initiative by visiting cobbcollaborative.org

Mental health is one of Cobb Collaborative's focus initiative areas because we realize that mental health affects ALL people. 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness annually and approximately 1 in 6 youth (ages 6-17) experience a mental health disorder.

Mental health struggles are not always outwardly visible. Someone dealing with a mental health issue may very well be...

* Someone who always seems happy.
* Someone who is always there for others.
* A person who seemingly has it all together.
* A person who is always smiling.
* An outgoing/social person.
* Someone who seems to have a perfect life.

According to CDC data, poor mental health is a growing concern for adolescents. Young people are struggling in significant numbers as evidenced by these recent statistics:

🟢 In 2021, more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health.
🟢 In 2021, more than 1 in 5 (22%) students seriously considered attempting su***de and 1 in 10 (10%) attempted su***de.

These data points bring into focus the level of distress many students are experiencing. (Source: CDC) Learn more and find resources on how to help by visiting the CDC's youth mental health web page at bit.ly/CDC-YMH

For additional mental health information and resources, please visit our Mind Your Mind web page at cobbcollaborative.org/mind-your-mind

Remember, there is NO health without mental health and it is important to destigmatize mental health and .

Our annual Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon is happening TOMORROW! For the last several days we have been spotlighting this year's wonderful nominees on our social media outlets. Today, last, but most certainly not least, is our final nominee in the Professional category - Christie Simons, Executive Director of Atlanta Angels.

From her nomination, "Christie’s work in the Cobb community and throughout metro-Atlanta has helped increase placement stability for youth in foster care, increased foster home retention, improved experiences of youth and caregivers within the child welfare system, and cultivated community. She also brought new programs that were not available in the community to Cobb County. The Love Box program is about wrapping support around the entire foster family - from caregivers, to youth in foster care, biological children, adopted children, and other household members. Families in the foster care system experience 'normalcy' and relational permanence at higher rates."

Congratulations, Christie, on your nomination!

Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We are looking forward to another incredible time tomorrow as we celebrate the 30th annual Q4 GMM and Human Services Awards with you all!

From The Basics Cobb County: Basics Insights is a FREE text messaging program for parents & caregivers of infants & toddlers that sends science-based tips to boost your child’s development.

Sign up at bit.ly/BASICStxt to receive two messages each week until your child turns 5.

The Basics Vision is a Cobb where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers of all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds are on track to achieve their full potential–having benefited from early experiences that foster healthy brain development, learning, joy, and resilience. Learn more by visiting thebasiscobbcounty.org

We also encourage you to follow The Basics Cobb County on social media to learn more about Basics principles, tips, workshops, etc:

Facebook: facebook.com/thebasicscobbcounty
Instagram: instagram.com/thebasicscobbcounty

Holiday season is underway! Last night, Irene Barton, as the 2023 East Cobb Citizen of the Year, had the honor of flipping the switch to turn on the lights to the Christmas Tree at East Cobb Park.

Our 30th annual Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon is just a couple of days away and we are so excited for this wonderful event again this year! As we lead up to this event, we have one more featured spotlight for our 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards nominations in the Volunteer category. Today, we recognize Kylie Tetley, nominated by Atlanta Angels.

From Kylie's nomination, "When Atlanta Angels foster families are matched with committed volunteers like Kylie and Dustin Tetley who show up monthly, parents feel supported, and foster children gain a greater sense of normalcy, relational permanency, and self-confidence. This support also leads to increased placement stability, reducing the high rate of turnover that often occurs in the foster care system. The Atlanta Angels mission is to walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship. Kylie and Dustin Tetley did this beautifully."

Kylie, congratulations on your nomination!

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THANKS to Cobb Community Foundation for being our presenting sponsor for this event! We look forward to celebrating with everyone in a couple of days!

Children & Families Strategy Team meetings are bi-monthly opportunity to meet with leaders of nonprofit organizations serving children and families in Cobb County to discuss opportunities to make a collective impact on issues.

Our next meeting is December 13, 2023 from 11:30AM-1:00PM at the Tillman House Resource Center, 940 Concord Rd SE, Smyrna, GA 30080. Register online at: bit.ly/CC-CFST-DEC2023

Please address any questions to Children & Families Strategy Team Chair, Leah Weigand, via email at [email protected]

Statistically, 20% of people in America experience mental health challenges. This means that if you are struggling, you are NOT alone. Taking care of mental health is important for all people and help is always available. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and are contemplating su***de...please seek help and PLEASE STAY. You matter and you are needed here.

The following are some resource options available to you:

Calling or texting 988 or chatting 988lifeline.org will connect a person in crisis to compassionate care and support for any mental health or substance use-related distress. Anyone—a person in crisis, or someone supporting a person in crisis—can reach 988 in the United States through any land line, cell phone, and voice-over internet device. (Veterans, press 1 at the prompt. TTY users: use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.)

Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) – 1-800-715-4225 - Help is available 24/7 for individuals struggling with issues like depression, anxiety, other mental health conditions, problems with developmental disabilities, mental health, addiction drugs, and alcohol. Download the MyGCAL app (Apple and Android) to call, text, or chat with GCAL.

The Trevor Project – 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678 - A national 24-hour, toll-free confidential su***de hotline for LGBTQ youth.

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No one should ever feel so helpless that they decide to take their own life. Everyone working together is essential to su***de awareness and prevention. Learn more about su***de prevention and access valuable resources by visiting our website: bit.ly/MYM_SP

To access more mental health information and resources, please visit our Mind Your Mind web page at cobbcollaborative.org/mind-your-mind

***dePrevention

Our annual Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon is coming up on Wednesday, December 6. Leading up to that event, we will be featuring the nominees for the 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards. Today's nominee spotlight in the Professional Category is on Laurie Ann Wong, Founder and CEO of Reflections of Trinity.

From her nomination, "Laurie Wong's work has made an indelible impact on the community. It's not just about increasing the number of people served; it's about transforming lives. Laurie's journey with Reflections of Trinity is nothing short of inspiring. What began with serving 33 families on Saturdays has, over the past ten years (2012-2022), evolved into serving a staggering 13 million pounds of food to half a million people. This isn't merely an increase in numbers; it's an improvement in services and a testament to her visionary approach."

Congratulations, Laurie, on your nomination!

Congratulations on your nomination, Peggy!

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Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We look forward to seeing you all on December 6 for this wonderful time-honored tradition!

Read! Listen! Explore! Your reading adventure starts with eRead Kids. Access ebooks and audiobooks wherever your journey takes you. All you need is your library card and a mobile device. georgialibraries.org/ereadkids

Leading up to our 30th annual Q4 General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon on December 6, we are featuring the nominees for our 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards. Today's social media spotlight in the the Volunteer category is on Liz Platner of PORCH Marietta, nominated by Marietta City Schools.

From their nomination, "Liz Platner is the founder of PORCH-Marietta. The all-volunteer organization was developed by three women in Chapel Hill, NC more than a decade ago (PORCH stands for People Offering Relief for Chapel Hill) and Liz launched PORCH Marietta in February of 2022. The idea is simple - Liz and other volunteers work with local organizations (including Marietta City Schools) to determine what needs exist on a monthly basis. They call on their neighbors for help and collect the neighbors' donations from their front porches. Neighbors can participate monthly or as often as they want. Since the beginning of 2023, PORCH Marietta has been collecting food for families across the Marietta City Schools District. During this school year, PORCH Marietta has gathered more than 1,000 pounds of food each month for students attending Lockheed Elementary, more than 80 bags of food each month for students at Sawyer Road Elementary, and funding for students at Marietta High School to have access to fresh fruits, milk, and other perishable items."

Congratulations, Liz Platner, on this nomination!

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Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We look forward to seeing you all on December 6 for this wonderful time-honored tradition!

Sharing an important message from our friends at Resilient Georgia for those who are expecting:

Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, creating anew life can be exciting, chaotic, and emotional at times. We encourage you to take care of yourself and remember that outside your identity as a pregnant person you have deep value and purpose. So be patient with yourself and take up as much space as you need. You’ve got this!

Learn more about prenatal mental health by visiting: resilientga.org/prenatalmentalhealth

The Youth Garden Grant, offered by Kids Gardening, will award 50 organizations $500 in funding and a collection of youth gardening supplies to support their youth garden programs. Any organization in the U.S. or U.S. Territories planning a new or improving an existing garden program serving at least 15 youth between the ages of 0 and 18 is eligible to apply. The deadline is December 15, 2023. Apply here: https://bit.ly/40pE8lm

Leading up to our 30th annual Q4 General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon on December 6, we are featuring the nominees for our 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards. This afternoon's nominee spotlight in the Professional category is Luther Washington, Founder and Executive Director of Family Life Restoration Center.

From Luther's nomination, "Luther's overall goal within the community is to keep families together during trying times. His motto is that 'Life Begins With a Family and Life Ends With a Family. So why live your life without your family?" His commitment over the last seventeen years has helped FLRC to become a staple in the community. People know that if they can make it to FLRC they will leave with something. Through programming he wants to make sure that we are giving families the opportunity to make better choices and becoming better citizens. Though the services we offer are free, he believes that everyone deserves a hand up, nor necessarily a handout. So through the workforce development program it is his goal to see the unemployed and underemployed gainfully employed with means to sustain their families."

Luther, congratulations on your nomination!

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Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We look forward to seeing you all on December 6 for this wonderful time-honored tradition!

Are you a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one? You're not alone—the Veterans Crisis Line is here for you. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to call.

🕰️ Access free, confidential support 24/7, 365 days a year. (Your call is free and confidential, and you decide how much information to share.)
🎧 Connect with a real person qualified to support Veterans.
❤️ The Veterans Crisis Line serves Veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, and those who support them.

To access the Veterans Crisis Line:
☎️ Dial 988, then press 1
📱 Text 838255
🖥️ Chat online at veteranscrisisline.net

Additionally, Veterans in acute suicidal crisis are now able to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for emergency health care at no cost – including inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days. Veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to use this benefit. This expansion of care will help prevent Veteran su***de by guaranteeing no cost, world-class care to Veterans in times of crisis. It will also increase access to acute su***de care for up to 9 million Veterans who are not currently enrolled in VA. For more information, please visit: bit.ly/VetsCrisisHelp

Our su***de prevention web pages has valuable information and additional resources to help everyone learn how to be an advocate for su***de prevention. Visit bit.ly/mym-sp

***dePrevention

Our annual Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon is coming up on Wednesday, December 6. Leading up to that event, we will be featuring the nominees for the 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards. Today's nominee spotlight in the Professional Category is on Robert Max, Community Outreach Director of Jewish War Veterans.

From Robert's nomination, "Robert represents his organization at many other organizational events, honoring others who served! Robert still works at Novelis and specializes in IT. He has helped his JWV organization by doing presentations, bringing in military presenters and using his skills with social media. Robert has developed many new programs and strategies by maintaining very professional members of the Board. Board Meetings and Member Meetings are consistent and well attended and professionally handled. Robert considers himself shy and introverted. We see him as a very well-known, well-respected, and very generous and kind Leader."

Congratulations, Robert, on this nomination!

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Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We look forward to seeing you all on December 6 for this wonderful time-honored tradition!

Did you know that...

📚 61% of low-income families do not have a single book suitable for a child?
📚 Half of children from low-income communities start first grade up to two years behind their peers?
📚 In middle-income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 1, in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children?

The facts are staggering, but there are ways to help. One way is to participate in Ferst Readers' "Adopt a Reader" initiative. Children in the Ferst Readers literacy program receive a bookstore-quality, age-specific book and resources mailed to them at home every month until their fifth birthday. For only $42 you can provide a book each month for an entire year! If you would like for your donation to serve children in Cobb County, please indicate “Cobb County” when you make your donation.

There are children right here in our community and all across the country just waiting for their opportunity to receive the gift of literacy. There are Ferst Readers programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina and Texas.

Adopt a reader and give the gift of literacy! For more information, visit: bit.ly/FR-AAR

The Collaborative's Leslie Danford and Lesleigh Knotts attended the "Nurturing Connections Birth to Five" Conference held by the Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health. This conference was an excellent opportunity to network with infant and early childhood professionals and attend workshops to strengthen their expertise in the field.

GA-AIMH is dedicated to raising awareness of children's social and emotional needs, building professional capacities, fostering collaboration, and advocating for policies benefiting families.

Cobb Collaborative's 30th Annual Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon is coming up on Wednesday, December 6. Leading up to that event, we will be featuring the nominees for the 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards. Today's nominee spotlight is on Barry Krebs who has been nominated by the South Cobb Lions Club.

From Barry's nomination, "I have seen Barry go the extra mile on several occasions at events in the South Cobb area. If there are 2 events on the same day, he finds a way to be present helping at both events. If there is an event that overlaps times he will do what he has to do even if it is hours or a day before others show up to make sure the site is ready. He is one of the most dependable men I know in South Cobb. Mableton need more men Like Barry Krebs!"

Congratulations on your nomination, Barry!

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This year’s event will once again be held in the Conference Center at Piedmont Church, 570 Piedmont Rd, Marietta, GA 30066, and featured a catered lunch from A Delightful Bitefull. Tickets for this event are $25 each and available via our registration link at: bit.ly/ccgmm-q423

PLEASE NOTE: TICKET SALES END THIS EVENING AT 6:00PM EST. We have to get a headcount to the caterer, so please RSVP today if you haven't already.

Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We look forward to seeing you all on December 6 for this wonderful time-honored tradition!

Every family has valuable roles they can play in their child’s education—and family engagement in the education process happens at school, at home, and in the community. November is Family Engagement Month in Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Education has invited schools to participate in celebrating family engagement through a variety of activities and initiatives. https://bit.ly/40FguBC

Our annual Fourth Quarter General Membership Meeting & Human Services Awards Luncheon is coming up on Wednesday, December 6. Leading up to that event, we will be featuring the nominees for the 2023 Jack Vaughan, Jr. Human Services Awards. Today's nominee spotlight is on Officer Paul Hill, School Resource Officer, who was nominated in the Professional category by Marietta City Schools.

From Paul's nomination, "Officer Hill’s work has impacted students across the district by increasing the number of children, teachers, and staff served; improving the quality of service; and by developing new strategies of working with children who are struggling in any way. Officer Hill has long been successful at interacting with children who are in crisis, but with Barney, de-escalation that used to take Officer Hill and school administrators up to two hours to handle now takes less than 10 minutes. Trained to respond to humans’ emotional needs and react accordingly, Barney helps students return to an emotional and physical state where they can self-regulate. In partnership with Barney, Officer Hill’s impact is far-reaching. He and Barney help calm children who are simply struggling to read (if they are embarrassed, Barney jumps up on the couch with them to listen while they practice!), feeling anxious about leaving a parent in the car rider line in the mornings, or even completing a forensic interview after experiencing a trauma."

Congratulations, Paul, on your nomination!

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Tickets for this event are $25 each and available via our registration link at: bit.ly/ccgmm-q423

Cobb Collaborative THANKS Cobb Community Foundation for being the presenting sponsor for this event. We look forward to seeing you all on December 6 for this wonderful time-honored tradition!

Sharing from our friends at MUST Ministries:
*Winter Weather Shelter will be open until Dec. 1*
The MUST Winter Weather Shelter is open to women, children and men over the next 3 nights.

**All winter weather clients must report by 8 P.M. to stay in the shelter and will receive dinner and a hot breakfast in the morning.**

Located at:
1297 Bells Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30066

Bus passes are available for pick up at Hope Family Resource Center for those that need transportation to MUST. Bus passes must be picked up before 5pm.

*Winter Weather Shelter will be open tonight, Nov. 27, and the next 4 nights. Nov. 27 - Dec. 1*

The MUST Winter Weather Shelter is open to women, children and men over the next 4 nights.

**All winter weather clients must report by 8 P.M. to stay in the shelter and will receive dinner and a hot breakfast in the morning.**

Located at:
1297 Bells Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30066

The Basics Cobb County is Cobb Collaborative's Birth-5 programming that aims to provide fun, simple, and powerful strategies to help every child reach their full potential. The Basics Vision is a Cobb County where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers of all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds are on track to achieve their full potential--having benefited from early experiences that foster healthy brain development, learning, joy, and resilience.

Learn more at thebasicscobbcounty.org

We also encourage you to follow The Basics Cobb County on social media to learn more about Basics principles, tips, workshops, etc:

Facebook: facebook.com/thebasicscobbcounty
Instagram: instagram.com/thebasicscobbcounty

Interested in hosting a Basics workshop or staff training? We are already scheduling for 2024, so visit our Training Opportunities web page for more information: bit.ly/BASICS-COBB-TRAINING

Everyone is impacted by their mental health—regardless of culture, race, ethnicity, age, gender, or sexual orientation. 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences a mental illness annually (NAMI). So if that includes you, know that you are not alone.

Online screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. Mental Health America (MHA) provides screening assessments FREE, confidently and anonymously online at bit.ly/MHA_Screening

Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are real, common and treatable. And recovery is possible. Following screening, you will be provided with information, resources and tools to help you understand and improve your mental health.

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From MHA...

Please note: Online screening tools are meant to be a quick snapshot of your mental health. If your results indicate you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, consider sharing your results with someone. A mental health provider (such as a doctor or a therapist) can give you a full assessment and talk to you about options for how to feel better.

This website is an informational resource. We are not a crisis support line. If you need immediate help, you can reach the Su***de & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or using the chat box at 988lifeline.org/chat. You can also text “MHA” to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. Warmlines are an excellent place for non-crisis support.

For all other screening-related questions and non-emergency support, please contact [email protected].
Mental Health America Inc., sponsors, partners, and advertisers disclaim any liability, loss, or risk incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from the use and application of these screens.

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For mental health resources, please visit our Mind Your Mind web page at cobbcollaborative.org/mind-your-mind