Many of us have heard about the association between "adverse childhood experiences" — such as exposure to divorce, substance abuse, or incarceration — and a community's health, and it's a painful reality that in many of our rural communities, the "ACE" scores are very high. Last Thursday evening at the Cascade Theatre in Redding I was thrilled to be able to attend a town hall, organized by Shasta Strengthening Families, First 5 Shasta and the Shasta County Office of Education, that took another angle, focusing on the important of positive childhood experiences and what adults can do to foster them. Speakers on the evening's panel were Erin Resner from Redding City Council, Redding Achieve teacher Brian Harris, Shasta County Probation Chief Neal, and Jordan Haberlein from the Shasta County Office of Education, moderated by Danielle Gehrung from the Shasta Day Reporting Center. Consistently being there for children and creating hope, connection and belonging can transform lives. Thanks for this inspiring presentation!