About Amherst Caring Coalition

Our Mission

The mission of the Amherst Caring Coalition is to convene a diverse group of community partners who are promoting trauma-informed practices that support family and community resilience and the cultivation of healthy relationships.

We strive to be Virginia's most caring community!

About The Caring Cottage

The Caring Cottage is located in the parsonage house next to Second Stage in Amherst. This trauma-informed space is available for community use by request and houses the Amherst County CSA offices. Several regular meetings are held in the Caring Cottage, including the Family Assessment & Planning Team (FAPT) and the Community Policy & Management Team (CPMT). Amherst Caring Coalition has monthly meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 3:00 PM.

We recently added a washer and dryer to support families experiencing housing instability and homelessness. If you or someone you know needs help with laundry, email Marie at mpetrone@amherst.k12.va.us

What's New?

Amherst Caring Coalition has been working hard to create trauma-informed spaces in our community. Check out this new space in the Court Services Unit at Amherst Courthouse. This space will be used by individuals and families during high-stress times, such as truancy meetings and protective orders. It is also available for employees when they need a quiet place to de-stress.

If you are interested in designing a trauma-informed space in your organization, contact us.

Our
Story

The Amherst County Trauma Informed Community Network (TICN) was founded in 2018 by Joni Tables, the Children's Services Act (CSA) Coordinator for the County of Amherst. Joni brought together leaders from all of the agencies working with children in Amherst to form a group that could educate the community about the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and how trauma affects the brain. This group joined with other TICNs in the state and became the 9th official TICN in Virginia. Amherst TICN's inaugural event was a screening of the movie Resilience with over 100 citizens in attendance. Building on this success, TICN brought in John Murray of Families First in Tidewater to speak about the neuroscience behind trauma. This event at Sweet Briar College was a great success! Unfortunately, the pandemic led to a long pause for TICN activities, but the team has reconvened and is currently planning for a trauma-responsive future in Amherst County.

Get Involved with our Subcommittees

To meet our objectives, we have four subcommittees and welcome community members to join in the work.

Training Committee

Contact Christina at

christina.ferrell@horizonbh.org

Cottage Committee

Contact Giovanna at

giovanna.rose@dss.virginia.gov

School Committee

Contact Stephanie at smoehlenkamp@amherst.k12.va.us

Marketing Committee

Contact Marie at mpetrone@amherst.k12.va.us

Our future plans include:

Adding more community partners and growing our coalition.
Offering training sessions to the community.
Inviting managers, employers, organizational leaders, and human resources professionals to learn more about trauma.
Providing consultation services.
Starting a free members section of the website that will include toolkits, checklists, resources, and other tools to become trauma-informed.
Looking for funding opportunities to support our marketing endeavors.
Growing our social media presence and increasing online communication through videos and blogs.