House Concurrent Resolution 85

(As Adopted by House)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE ESSIE B. AND WILLIAM EARL GLENN FOUNDATION FOR BETTER LIVING ON THE OCCASION OF HOSTING ITS SECOND COMMUNITY FOCUSED ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES TRAUMA AWARENESS SYMPOSIUM AND DECLARING JUNE 20, 2022, AS ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES) TRAUMA AWARENESS DAY.

WHEREAS, the Essie B. and William Earl Glenn Foundation for Better Living will host its third community focused Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Trauma Awareness Symposium virtually on June 20, 2022; and

WHEREAS, this year's theme is "Quelling Community and Domestic Violence in State and Nation" which seeks to attack the social roots of violence and find long-term solutions to address the negative impact that violence has on children and families; and

WHEREAS, this foundation is rooted in family love as it was created by siblings: Howard, Helen, Clyde, John, Robert, Essie and Doris, to honor the "spirit of community" that their parents exuded throughout their lives, and appropriately named it after their beloved parents; and

WHEREAS, the goals of the foundation are to address the negative results of adverse childhood experiences and provide long-term solutions which studies from the Centers for Disease Control have shown limits a person's employability, earning potential, and lifetime productivity; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, the Glenn Family Foundation trained Cleveland schoolteachers on the Biopsychosocial Implications of a Healthy Brain, and to fortify its reach due to the absence of community-focused work occurring in the State of Mississippi around adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma and the lack of adverse childhood experiences and trauma behavioral risk data collection, the foundation partnered with the City of Cleveland to host a socially-distanced annual health fair where more than 55 clinical providers and service organizations address the needs of uninsured and under-insured Delta citizens; and

WHEREAS, since 2015, the Glenn Family Foundation has fed nearly 7,000 community children, provided approximately 600 flu shots, 3,500 face masks and hand sanitizers and distributed over 43,500 pounds of food to needy families during its Annual Health, Wellness and Safety Tailgates; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, the foundation helped launch food pantries to address college student hunger at two historically black colleges and universities, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University, and predominantly black servicing Delta State University, and in 2020, the Glenn Family Foundation and ACEs Awareness Foundation expanded its footprint into Sunflower County to disseminate trauma-informed resources and advance the knowledge and practices of holistic health; and

WHEREAS, with the advent of COVID-19, the Glenn Family Foundation saw a need to connect community stakeholders in the 18 Delta counties to serve as a linking pin for communication and resources to address the needs of citizens in the Delta, so in May 2020, the Foundation formed the Mississippi Community Trauma Coalition (MCTC), which is a collective of individuals representing advocacy, education, law, government, public and private sectors, communities of faith and healthcare with a mission to create resilient, sustainable, trauma-informed communities where children, youth and families have opportunities and support systems necessary to thrive; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to honor Mississippi organizations with a mission to serve the less fortunate and improve the lives of Mississippi children:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the Essie B. and William Earl Glenn Foundation for its impressive humanitarian efforts and congratulate the organization on the occasion of its third statewide symposium and declare June 20, 2022, as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Trauma Awareness Day.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Essie B. and William Earl Glenn Foundation and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.