Nonprofit raises awareness about impacts of trauma
SRQ Strong, a regional nonprofit that “is raising awareness of the impacts of trauma and fostering healing and resilience across the Suncoast region,” has hired Tom Edwards as its first executive director it has announced.
Edwards began serving in the role in late August, a news release said.
“Seventy percent of the general population will experience at least one traumatic event during their lifetime,” the release points out. “Our vision is to create a community that cares for itself, where neighbors support each other, regardless of differences,” said Dr. Andrea Blanch, founder and board chair of SRQ Strong, in the release. “We’ve built a groundswell of engaged citizens and organizations that want to bring healing from trauma to all corners of our community,” Blanch continued. “Tom Edwards is the right leader to elevate our impact.”
During the Aug. 20 Primary Election, Edwards won another four-year term on the Sarasota County School Board, capturing 55.84% of the 96,712 votes cast in the nonpartisan race for the District 3 seat.
On its website, SRQ Strong explains that it “builds on lessons from the civil rights movement, second wave feminism, and the disability rights movement. We owe a debt of gratitude to many individuals and groups who have generously shared their experience on this journey to becoming trauma-informed,” the website adds, singling out Peace4Tarpon, the Self-healing Communities Model, and Father Paul Abernathy and the Neighborhood Resilience Project.
For more information about SRQ Strong, visit www.srqstrong.org.