Quantum Invests in Fighting ACEs

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$250,000 to Support Center for Child Counseling

The Board of Trustees of Quantum Foundation, under the leadership of Mrs. Donna Mulholland, recently approved eight new grants totaling more than $800,000 to nonprofits based in Palm Beach County.

Of the eight grants awarded this cycle, Quantum Foundation allocated $250,000 to the Center for Child Counseling (CCC) for the organization's work with ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). CCC is considered the leader in ACEs and Trauma Informed Training and is driving the conversation on ACEs in Palm Beach County. The grant will help support staff positions to provide educational workshops, training and consultation for teachers, caregivers and professionals about ACEs, trauma, and integration of effective strategies to promote buffers and lifelong health for babies and young children.

ACEs are situations where a child faces some sort of trauma or stress. They are associated with abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. Nearly half the children in the United States have experienced at least one ACE indicator, while one in 10 have experienced at least three traumatic events. Most of these adverse situations arise from economic hardship, violence, drugs and mental illness.

“We believe in funding programs focusing on ‘whole health’ and the wellness of the community,” said Eric Kelly, president of Quantum Foundation. “The Center for Child Counseling is an innovative organization and an agent of change. Organizations like this are a great match for our vision. We are pleased to fund this program to make Palm Beach County a better place to live.” 

This grant continues Quantum’s support of CCC. “We are so grateful to Quantum for helping us lead the fight against ACEs and the lifelong effects that can follow,” said Renée Layman, CEO at CCC. “Children interpret experiences differently and we know that unless they’re able to process those experiences - especially adverse ones - in a constructive way, the result can be a lifetime of mental and physical health issues. In recent years, scientific research has shown that adverse experiences and trauma affect not only mental health but the physiological development of a young child’s brain.”

If a child scores high on the ACEs scale, counselors like those at CCC can start them on a healing journey that can dramatically improve their future mental and physical health. To learn more about ACEs, CCC’s work, or to take the quick, anonymous 10-question ACEs test, visit: www.centerforchildcounseling.org/about-us/fightingACEs. Join the conversation using #FightingACEs.

Early Childhood Trauma Can Lead to Early Death

Kerry Jamieson Fighting ACEs PBC, Latest News 0 Comment

Five-year-old Maria* saw her mother collapse during a severe asthma attack, then watched as an ambulance whisked her away for what would turn out to be several weeks of recuperation away from home. Maria was too young to understand what was happening. She just knew that suddenly, something was wrong with Mommy and she was taken away. Maria began having nightmares.

Without a buffer or an intervention from a trusted, positive influence to guide her and her family in the right direction, the negative effects of her ACEs could range from disrupting her neurological development to reducing her life expectancy by 20 years.Adverse events can traumatize the whole family. They are difficult to talk about rationally and constructively. But we must face the harsh reality of what happens when we – as a community – don’t discuss ACEs and how to fight them.

Discussing the community’s role in ACEs is just as important as the actual trauma-informed therapy provided to children and families at places like the Center for Child Counseling. The impact of ACEs on the well-being and productivity of a community is enormous.

Long-term community costs

Communities have an obligation to keep children safe, but society has a vested interest in fighting ACEs that goes way beyond the moral imperative. Children who experience ACEs without receiving interventional care can have a dramatic effect on their communities in the form of higher healthcare costs, potentially higher crime rates, mental-health expenditures, and lost productivity.

Scientists have found clear distinctions between brain scans of people exposed to the chronic stress associated with ACEs and those who have not been exposed. Living with chronic stress is toxic, resulting in a smaller hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala – areas of the brain responsible for self-regulation, decision-making, managing stress, and processing emotions, memory, and fear.

Simply put, the brains of children who experience abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction are structurally altered, threatening their ability to grow up to be productive, contributing members of society.

Of course, the behaviors associated with ACEs vary based on a child’s age and circumstances. From the outside, we see only the symptoms exhibited when something triggers a trauma reminder. These symptoms include but are not limited to:

  • Withdrawing
  • Refusing to comply with directions
  • Jumping from 0-10 on the anger scale
  • Having difficulty building trust in relationships
  • Lacking control and/or impulsivity

In reality, most children are resilient. They carry on even after experiencing ACEs. Without early screening and intervention though, they’ll be heading down a dangerous road that involves ever-riskier behavior. When children are deprived of the security, love, and trust that make them feel safe (or good), they often choose to take risks later in life. When they are old enough to have access to things that make them feel safe or good, they may abuse them. This often includes unsafe sex with multiple partners and/or misusing drugs and alcohol.

However, the consequences of ACEs don’t stop there. As with all types of chronic stress, ACEs-induced stress takes its toll on the body as well as the mind.

Body + mind

As Maria grows into an adult who experiences chronic stress for years on end, her body will process adrenaline and cortisol at atypical rates. This will make her more susceptible to serious health issues like:

Our mental health and physical health are intertwined, so it’s not surprising that ACEs can have serious physical consequences – ultimately leading to an early death.

For all these reasons, it’s imperative that communities like ours address ACEs through open and honest dialogue. There is hope. Soon after witnessing her mother’s collapse, Maria underwent three months of play therapy at the Center for Child Counseling. Trained counselors help children like Maria every day to express and work through their confusing, negative feelings rather than keep them inside where they can do lasting damage.

Children like Maria can heal after trauma, but only if the adults around them are willing to fight on their behalf.

The Center for Child Counseling provides healing care to more than 2,500 children each year. Interested in learning how you can help fight childhood adversity in your community? Sign up below to learn more through our ongoing educational blog series.

Sign up now for news, events, and education about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promoting resilience.

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Childhood Trauma is Linked to Long-Term Health Issues

Kerry Jamieson Fighting ACEs PBC, Latest News

fighting aces little boy with stethoscopeMany of us experienced some type of highly stressful or traumatic event in our childhood. We may have had effective “buffers”: people like a trusted teacher, coach, therapist, or supportive family and friends. Or, depending on our age at the time, we may have decided we could handle our reactions on our own.

But, are you aware of the lifelong physical health issues scientists have found to be associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs? Take our quick questionnaire to find out your ACEs score, then come back here to learn what it might mean for your physical health.

ACEs are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today.
- Dr. Robert Block, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics

ACEs threaten public health

Research by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control showed that ACEs scores are correlated with health outcomes. Children and adults with high scores (4 or more) are:

adverse childhood experiences lead to health conditions

“Children are especially sensitive to repeated stress activation because their brains and bodies are just developing,” said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, pediatrician, in a 2014 TEDMED talk. “High doses of adversity not only affect brain structure and function, it also affects the developing immune system, developing hormonal systems, and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed.”

The need for routine screening and early intervention through play therapy, mental health services, child-parent psychotherapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and positive parenting programs is evident. “ACEs are the single greatest unaddressed public health threat facing our nation today,” said Dr. Robert Block, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

How can we intervene?

Abuse and neglect don’t discriminate. Neither do behavior issues or family dysfunction. But by helping children heal, each of us can stop the ongoing, repeated cycle of abuse and adversity.

Public awareness and education expands the ability and capacity for the entire community, including schools, organizations and businesses, to respond to the needs of children exposed to early adversity. In Palm Beach County, anyone who knows and cares about a child who has experienced ACEs can turn to the Center for Child Counseling.

Our mission is to foster healthy, resilient children and families through support, counseling, and awareness. In the next year, we will train 3,000 pediatricians, nurses, teachers, caregivers, police officers, and mental-health professionals to recognize the signs of ACEs.

Children deserve to live their lives free of abuse. We owe them a sense of security whether they’re at home or out in the world.

The Center for Child Counseling provides healing care to more than 2,400 children each year. Interested in learning how you can help fight childhood adversity in your community? Sign up to receive newsletter updates.

Sign up now for news, events, and education about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promoting resilience.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from: Center for Child Counseling, 8895 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33410. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

How Play Therapy Can Help Heal Childhood Trauma

Kerry Jamieson Fighting ACEs PBC, Latest News

Boy in Play Therapy for Childhood Trauma

At his first appointment at the Center for Child Counseling for childhood trauma, 8-year-old Thomas* asked his trauma therapist if she “liked to hurt kids, too.”

Thomas had been bullied and physically abused by a much-older stepbrother. Often, young children cannot explain or even understand what’s bothering them and they may struggle to verbally express themselves. Their language is play. Stressful or traumatic events – referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs – can become evident through the way a child chooses to play.

What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

ACEs are situations where a child faces some sort of trauma or stress. They typically fall into three categories:

  • Abuse – physical, emotional, sexual
  • Neglect – physical or emotional
  • Household dysfunction – parents facing incarceration, separation, divorce, mental illness, domestic abuse, substance abuse.

Nationally, the most common ACEs children face arise from:

  • Economic hardship
  • Issues associated with divorce
  • Witnessing or being a victim of violence (including domestic violence)
  • Living with someone who suffers from mental illness
  • Living with someone with drug or alcohol addiction
  • Issues associated with the incarceration of a parent or caregiver

The result of these situations? Insecurity from the constant threat of the unknown and anxiety associated with feelings that a caregiver may not be reliable.

The prevalence of these situations for our children is alarming: It’s estimated that nearly half of U.S. children (45%) have experienced at least one ACE, while one in 10 (10%) have experienced at least three of these traumatic events.

The potential damage to a child may seem obvious, but in reality, ACEs are incredibly complex and may not manifest the same way in every child. This makes diagnosing and fighting ACEs a challenge; two children who suffer the same sort of emotional abuse may act out quite differently.

How do we help a child with ACEs?

Because every child is unique, only an individualized treatment strategy can give them the best chance of working through their ACEs. The strategy begins with a questionnaire that helps therapists score and assess their mental and physical health.

Questions include:

  • Did a parent or other adult in your house often push, grab, slap or throw something at you? Did a parent or other adult in your house ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were hurt?
  • Was someone in your house depressed or mentally ill? Or did someone attempt suicide?
  • Did you often feel that you didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, or had no one to protect you?

With these answers, qualified counselors like those at the Center for Child Counseling can start children on a healing journey that will improve their mental and physical health throughout their lives.

After six months of trauma therapy, Thomas is now able to express his feelings about the violence and abuse he experienced in his home through play therapy.

He is learning that most adults can be trusted and don’t hurt children.

You can learn more about the lifelong physical health issues associated with ACEs in our next blog. For now, equip yourself with knowledge by taking the quick ACEs questionnaire to learn what impact ACEs may have had on your life.

The Center for Child Counseling provides healing care to more than 2,400 children each year.
Interested in learning how you can help fight childhood adversity in your community? Sign up below to receive ACEs updates.

Sign up now for news, events, and education about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promoting resilience.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive emails from: Center for Child Counseling, 8895 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33410. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

Leading the Fight Against Childhood Adversity and Trauma

Kerry Jamieson Fighting ACEs PBC, Latest News

Dr. Blakely, Dr. Baganz, Eddie Stephens, and Randy Scheid, VP at Quantum Foundation.

“The single most pressing problem affecting societal wellness” — that was how speakers described ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) at the 2nd Annual “Lead the Fight” event hosted by the Center for Child Counseling at FPL’s Manatee Lagoon Discovery Center in Riviera Beach in April. The event brought together dozens of local business and community leaders, including the mayors of West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Wellington and Jupiter, and the Vice Mayor of Royal Palm Beach, as well as Palm Beach County School District 4 Board Member Erica Whitfield, and the senior management of local health funders and law firms.

The Center for Child Counseling, a nonprofit based in Palm Beach County, offers mental health services to children from birth to 18, specializing in helping to heal young children exposed to trauma. The organization has emerged as the local leader in the fight against ACEs and is driving an awareness campaign focused on training teachers, healthcare providers, and community leaders to view their interactions with people, especially children, through a trauma-informed lens.

The Center’s CEO, Renée Layman, describes the effect of ACEs. “Children interpret experiences differently and we know that unless they’re able to process those experience - especially adverse ones - in a constructive way, the result can be a lifetime of mental and physical health issues.” In recent years, scientific research has shown that adverse experiences and trauma affect not only mental health but the physiological development of a young child’s brain.

The event’s keynote speakers from the FAU Brain Institute, Dr. Randy Blakey and Dr. Nicole Baganz, spoke about these early changes to a crowd of more than 125 guests. We tend to think that issues affecting the brain may have obvious consequences for mental health but, in fact, many diseases like diabetes, obesity, and substance abuse are linked to higher ACEs scores. Dr. Blakely talks about the impact of ACEs “Increasingly we recognize the powerful, enduring effects of early life experience, whether constituting risk for, or resiliency against, brain disorders and mental illness. The deeper we understand the biology surrounding these effects, the more we appreciate the influence of friends, family, and community.”

Members of the Board of the Center for Child Counseling, Bill Lynch and Eddie Stephens, spoke of their personal experiences and ACEs expert, Amber Payne, asked attendees to consider the economic impact ACEs have on the community. They contribute dramatically to depression, substance abuse, and other issues that result in lower productivity. Ms. Payne explains: “We know that without help and positive buffers, the changes in a child’s growing brain will have a profound effect on the rest of their lives. In fact, people with an ACEs score of 4 or higher live, on average, 20 years less than those without ACEs.”

Renée Layman encouraged the room to take advantage of the Center’s training opportunities. “We want people to know their ACE score and understand the implications of that score. Knowledge is power,” she said. “At the Center for Child Counseling, we’re partnering with numerous local agencies including Quantum Foundation and Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County to spearhead this crucial awareness effort in Palm Beach County”.

To learn more about ACEs, the Center’s work, or to take the quick 10-question ACEs test, visit:

www.centerforchildcounseling.org/about-us/fightingACEs

New Community and Public Relations Director!

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Welcoming Kerry Jamieson to Our Team!

We are pleased to announce that Kerry Jamieson has joined our team as Director of Community and Public Relations! Kerry was born in Durban, South Africa and received an undergraduate degree in English and History from the University of Miami and a postgraduate qualification in screenwriting from UCLA.

Kerry has enjoyed a diverse advertising and marketing career for the past 20 years, spearheading multiple creative projects and serving as a copywriter and account manager for clients as diverse as Sara Lee and Coca-Cola.

She joined Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) in 2010 as a Senior Communications Specialist where she managed innumerable internal and external communication projects, including presentations and other deliverables for senior executives and customer channels (news releases, web copy, printed collateral, social media content, etc.). She has also worked on emergency communications and audio-visual productions.

In 2012, Kerry accepted the role of Senior Director of Communications at Quantum Foundation, West Palm Beach's largest private health funder. The foundation has worked with over 450 nonprofits in Palm Beach County, including national organizations, small-to-medium grassroots nonprofits, major educational institutions and government agencies, and the Center for Child Counseling.

Kerry has worked extensively with grantees, partners, and board members on a wide variety of communications projects, managing all internal communication needs as well as media, design and print requirements. She specializes in creating unique and engaging content for all channels and designs annual communications plans to meet strategic goals. She is also an award-winning writer and an internationally published novelist with three books in the marketplace. Kerry lives in North Palm Beach with her husband Frank.

We are thrilled to have Kerry on our team!

CfCC Welcomes a New Board Member!

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Dr. Jennifer Konsker, Pediatrician Joins Board of Directors

Jennifer Elena Konsker, MD FAAP

We are pleased to anounce that Dr. Jennifer Konsker, pediatrician, has joined the Board of Directors at Center for Child Counseling.

Dr. Konsker has lived in Palm Beach County with her husband, Randy, and two sons, now teenagers, since 2001. They are active in the community, participating in various organizations and events; generally related to helping meet the needs of people and animals. 

Dr. Konsker has been practicing General Pediatrics for Pediatric Associates in South Florida for more than sixteen years, since completing her residency at Mount Sinai in NYC.  She is a graduate of Columbia University's School of Engineering and worked as an Industrial Engineer for a healthcare consulting firm before switching career paths to follow her calling - to help and heal with the hopes of making a difference in our world. 

Dr. Konsker's medical training (medical school and residency) focused extensively on mental health, where she realized the importance of the mind, body, and spirit connection. Since then, she has focused on all three elements when treating her patients and families.

Dr. Konsker is a founder and active member of Pediatric Associates’ Brain Health Committee and has instituted an on-site/in-office mental health guidance program within several offices to help meet the mental health needs of the children and families in the practice.  She is a participant of Samaritan’s 365, an organization which teaches school-aged children about kindness and compassion through community service projects that give back and help those in need in our community. She is also a part of the CoCo Coalition, which reaches out to trauma-exposed youth with trauma-informed based yoga and meditation programs. Jennifer continuously practices and studies yoga, meditation and mindfulness, incorporating it into her life and work.

When it comes to mental health and our youth, Dr. Konsker realizes that so much more needs to be done and that intervention needs to happen earlier in life. Helping and healing patients and their families, as well as her volunteer experiences has made it obvious that mental health help, healing and education must begin prenatally and continue in infancy and early childhood. 

Jennifer believes it is time that the gap between practicing physicians and the mental health community is filled. It is time for physicians to be more aware of early childhood mental health issues, and to have resources to make a difference.

Dr. Konsker hopes that by joining the Center of Child Counseling's Board of Directors, she can help fill that gap through reaching out to and educating other physicians as well as personally contributing to the Center and its programs as a Board member.

New Board Members Elected!

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We are pleased to announce the election of Madeline Morris, CPA and Jennifer Hume Rodriguez to the Center for Center for Child Counseling's Board of Directors.

Madeline MorrisDirector and Audit Committee Chairwoman, Madeline Morris, MBA/CPA is a seasoned professional with a 40-year proven track record of assisting clients. Her areas of focus have been in the enhancement of Corporate Governance, designing and implementing effective risk focused reporting, regulatory, compliance and internal control policies and processes.  She is a recently retired Managing Director from Deloitte LLP.

Madeline's depth and breadth of knowledge is demonstrated through her outstanding commercial success and leadership. She served as a Managing Director at Deloitte until her retirement in 2016. She led many of the largest and most complex Global Financial Institutions programs, assisting clients in the enhancement of their Corporate Governance, designing and implementing effective risk focused reporting from operations through to the Board of Directors. As one of the firms’ leaders in Regulatory Readiness services, Madeline assessed and implemented Sarbanes-Oxley, JSOX, Capital Planning and Analysis, Bank Holding Company Transformation for many fortune 500 companies. In addition, she has effectively led Merger Integration and Divestiture activities all grounded in the disciplines of Internal Controls. Madeline’s primary clients have been Boards of Directors, Audit and Risk Committees, and Senior Management.

Director, Jennifer Hume Rodriguez has been in the banking industry for over twenty-three years.  She grew up in Malvern, PA a suburb of Philadelphia and attended Penn State University where she received a BA in Liberal Arts. Upon graduating college in 1989, Jennifer chose to move to Florida, first to Jacksonville and then to the West Palm Beach area in 1990.  She has been a resident of Palm Beach County for twenty-seven years.

Jennifer's banking career began in 1994 with a small community bank and she enrolled in graduate school in 1995 going part-time in the evening for an MBA at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Jennifer graduated with a Master's in Business Administration in Dec of 1998. Over the past twenty-three years, Jennifer has worked for both large and small banks – First Bank of Florida, Bank of America, Fidelity Federal Bank & Trust, First Southern Bank, RBC Bank, PNC and currently Florida Community Bank where she is Vice President, Branch Manager of the West Palm Beach office.

Jennifer is active in the Chamber of the Palm Beaches, a board member for Executive Women of the Palm Beaches, member of the Business Advisory Council for Palm Beach State College Lake Worth Campus and a member of the fundraising committee for ChildNet Palm Beach County. She is also an active member of the Realtors Association.  

Learn more about our Board of Directors here.

Our CEO is Nonprofit Executive of the Year!

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Renée Layman Named “Executive of the Year” at the First Annual Hats Off Nonprofits Awards presented by Nonprofits First

West Palm Beach, FL (October 3, 2017) Center for Child Counseling’s CEO, Renée Layman has been named Executive of the Year by Nonprofits First at their first annual Nonprofits First “Hats Off” awards event, held at the Harriet Himmel Theater at City Place in Downtown West Palm Beach.  A total of twenty-eight CEOs and Executive Directors were nominated from around Palm Beach County in this category.

The award honored an executive “whose distinguished achievements have resulted in significant progress toward improving a community issue.” They must also be recognized by their peers as a leader in the sector, demonstrating excellence in leadership and management, and inspiring others to achieve meaningful, measurable, and sustainable results. During her acceptance speech, Ms. Layman touched on the increased demand for the services that Center for Child Counseling provides to at-risk children in the Palm Beach County area: “Unfortunately, there’s so much need in our community, so we continue to provide innovative and evidence-based programming to meet the needs . . . we love what we do.”  Center for Child Counseling is filling critical gaps in the services for at-risk children in our community. Under her leadership over the past year, Center for Child Counseling has provided direct services for over 3,000 children – and trained over 3,500 professionals in the educational, medical, and childcare sectors.

Renée Layman has held a variety of leadership roles in her twenty-five year career in mental health in South Florida. She is a part of Leadership Florida’s Cornerstone class of XXXVI, is the co-chair of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health - Palm Beach and Martin County chapter, graduated from Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2010 and was the co-chair for the Leadership Palm Beach County Engage program from 2014-2016. Renée is involved with a number of advisory committees in the Palm Beach County area and is on the board of the Nonprofit Chamber of Palm Beach County.

Jessica Cecere, CEO of Nonprofits First and fellow Leadership Grad, was pleased with the committee’s decision to select Renée as the first recipient of this award stating, “I am very pleased and proud to have Renée Layman as Nonprofits First inaugural Hats-Off Nonprofit Award Honoree for Nonprofit Executive of the Year. Renée is an exemplary leader and nonprofit professional.”

CfCC CEO Selected for Leadership Florida

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We're thrilled to announce on the heels of Leadership Florida's press release, that Center for Child Counseling's CEO Renée Layman has been selected for Leadership Florida's 2017-2018 Cornerstone XXXVI class!

Renée will participate in an 8-month long experience in counties across Florida. As a new class member, she will "participate in Leadership Florida’s renowned master sessions, which provide a comprehensive look at critical Florida issues, refining well-developed leadership skills via sessions with leadership experts, and relevant information on Florida’s history, demography, diversities, challenges and opportunities."

Leadership Florida states that "The purpose of these programs is to educate, inspire, and engage Florida leaders who will work together, across their diversities, for the betterment of Florida." A natural fit for the class, as "members of Leadership Florida serve on more than 5,000 corporate and non-profit boards throughout the state, providing key leadership in their local communities and in the state."

Renée is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County, Class of 2010, serving as co-chair of the Engage Program until 2016. She continues to volunteer with the organization, most recently at the Class of 2018's retreat. Renée states, "I am looking forward to the upcoming year with a group of outstanding leaders and exploring topics that are important to Florida, from diverse viewpoints." 

Center for Child Counseling is excited to see how the experience with Leadership Florida will engage other leaders in mental health and  our fight against Adverse Childhood Experiences in Palm Beach County. 

To find out more about Leadership Florida and view the newest members of the Cornerstone, Connect and Education classes visit: www.leadershipflorida.org.

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About Leadership Florida For thirty-six years, Leadership Florida has developed a reputation as a builder of a stronger, diverse statewide sense of community. A respected non-partisan convener of committed individuals, Leadership Florida enhances the knowledge and leadership abilities of Florida’s leaders through educational programs and by encouraging collaborative work for the betterment of our state. Leadership Florida provides Floridians essential information and a meaningful forum for their opinions, and creates opportunities for shared experiences that are inviting, inspiring and of lasting value. Leadership Florida is a federally registered trademark.

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