Virginia First Lady Pamela Northam wraps up Trauma Informed Community Conversation Tour in Abingdon

Virginia First Lady Pamela Northam and members of the Virginia Children’s Cabinet brought the First Lady’s Road to Resilience Tour to Abingdon Thursday. In a panel discussion, the first lady and cabinet members from the Departments of Health and Human Resources and Education heard from representatives of the trauma-informed community networks (TICNs) in Southwest Virginia: the New River Valley Resiliency Network, the Roanoke TICN, and the TICN of Southwest Virginia. The tour was hosted by the United Way of Southwest Virginia.

Northam told the roundtable she was interested in hearing about the work that was already being done in the region, and, “what is needed to help you do your wonderful work even better.” A common topic was the value of collaboration.

“We’re a collaborative that is designed to bring together community resources, opportunities for training and collaboration so that as a whole, we are rowing in the same direction,” said Danielle Dye, Community Resilience Manager, United Way of Southwest Virginia, who leads the TICN of Southwest Virginia. “We don’t want to work in silos. We want to take the opportunity to move from trauma-aware to trauma-responsive so people feel empowered to move their work forward. By combining our resources, we are a much stronger entity.”

Virginia First Lady Pamela Northam (left) with United Way of Southwest Virginia President and CEO Travis Staton, United Way Resilience Manager Danielle Dye and Smyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Dennis Carter.

Laura Beth Weaver, executive director of the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley, said of her organization, “we represent five counties, and we were all already at the same tables. It just makes sense for us to work together.”

TICNs work to prevent and mitigate the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences, but also work to help individuals and communities deal with trauma beyond childhood. “We work across sectors,” Dye said. “We provide specialized training that’s pertinent to juvenile justice and education, but also to healthcare, so we are creating a trauma-informed region.”

Dye said she hopes the First Lady and the Children’s Cabinet took from the roundtable an understanding of the region’s commitment to moving from trauma-informed to trauma-responsive. “When we become more responsive in a sector or a building or even with your church – how you deal with people – meeting them where they’re at, you realize that everybody comes from a place of trauma no matter where that is. It doesn’t have to be when they’re children. You open your eyes to creating the power of kindness and responding in a more kind, compassionate way.”

Previous conversations this month featured discussions between the first lady and Central and Eastern Virginia TICNs.