No More Crappy Childhoods

No More Crappy Childhoods - The Evergreen People Model

Raising Physically and Emotionally Healthy Citizens

"We don’t really want to know what soldiers go through in combat. We do not really want to know how many children are being molested and abused in our own society or how many couples—almost a third, as it turns out—engage in violence at some point during their relationship. We want to think of families as safe havens in a heartless world and of our own country as populated by enlightened, civilized people."  Dr. Bessel van der Kolk in The Body Keeps the Score. 

We are Adverse Childhood Experiences Matter, or ACEs Matter for short.  ACEs are different types of traumatic childhood events known to cause long-term damage to society, children, and adults.

Our mission - teach 1 million people what we've learned about ACEs and show them where to turn.

A pattern of trauma creates adults without direction that may cause harm to themselves or others. The opposite does the opposite and we think more people could use the information we have.

Excessive exposure to ACEs qualifies as a crappy childhood.

Millions of people have excessive exposure to ACEs and may not see the connection to childhood experiences. Healing is at the root of learning about and releasing stored trauma. ACEs are like stored trauma.

According to the Center for Disease Control, CDC for short:

• 6 out of 10 people have experienced at least one ACE. 
• 1 in every 6 people have a score of 4 or more 
• Data suggest that intergenerational trauma is strongest amongst those who live below the poverty line. 

The Evergreen People Model

Belief systems influenced by trauma or ACEs create community chaos. The conversation on ACEs can save millions of lives and billions of dollars. 

• We find people with ACEs through online targeting, teach them about ACEs, and show them where to turn (if they are interested).
• Reach 2-3 generations in one visit
• We "want" to track referrals and actions taken after learning about ACEs

When we start the conversation about ACEs we close a knowledge gap. Knowledge is king. Compassion is Queen. 

Our secret: "Create robust ways to bring the information of ACEs directly to communities." 

Donations under $500 will have access to all ACEs Matter-sponsored events and online parties + plus social media mention and an engraved placement of your family name on our digital star wall.

All donations of $500 or more receive a personal hand-cut, limited edition wooden ACEs Matter wall decor

Donations of $1000 receive advertising spot opportunities, based on terms and conditions.  

Donations of $5000 or more receive exclusive invites to keynote speeches and interviews with subject matter experts.

Donations of $10,000 or more we invite you to help us write the story. You are an editor now.

• Our product is an accessible conversation that may include our personal stories.
• We’ve got data that allows us to predict the future and if ACEs can be predicted, ACEs can be prevented. 
• The data says, an intolerable amount of young adults are entering society having experienced childhood trauma and the world is not ready for them. 

The mental and physical states of the people who raise children will forever control what happens next. No child should leave home with ACEs, but since it feels inevitable, we must prepare now. If prisons and welfare systems can be built in preparation for those young adults, so can healing communities. 

Where there are world issues, there are probably ACEs.

We are seeking funding because “America is only as strong as its weakest link and some of today’s weakest are weak because of their childhoods.” 

One team. One score. “No story lives unless someone wants to listen and those who tell the stories rule the world.”

Children are being asked to be resilient inside of unresilient environments, this conversation has the power to change that.  

The money will be used to bring 10,000 people together for a 3-day hybrid ACE Awareness Summit and After Party. 

The Budget:

1) Operating Infrastructure - $530K would allow us to hire 5 fulltime employees & reach 100K more people

2) Donations allow us to provide stipends and scholarships to people that need access to the 8 Dimension of Wellness resources.

3) Donations allow us to train more volunteers to host more awareness events, which leads to calmer communities of people.

Our founder is Cendie Stanford, a survivor with an extremely high ACE score.  Cendie stumbled upon the Center for Disease Control’s version of the 10-question ACE quiz at a copy machine. Upon further research, Cendie noticed that as many as 6 out of 10 people have experienced at least one ACE and that most mass shooters, child traffic victims, youth offenders, and incarcerated individuals have suffered ACEs.  Studies have shown that Our work has implications for public safety, individual well-being, intergenerational healing, and maximizing full human and societal potential. 

ACEs Matter is a start-up minority-led nonprofit founded in 2020, dedicated to raising awareness on ACEs and mental health.

Our goal at ACES Matter is to foster a reality in which coming to terms with one’s childhood suffering, trauma, and mental health regulation is more accessible and less stigmatized. We aim to achieve this by providing a complimentary service that anyone with an internet connection can use.

The project will be managed by a trained project manager under the direction of the founder and President of ACEs Matter.