Collaborative Connection: September 1, 2022
Throughout this month, Cobb Collaborative will highlight and feature suicide awareness and prevention advocacy in our social media channels. We want to help break the stigma associated with suicide awareness and increase our efforts to be proactive in the fight for the prevention of lives lost to this epidemic.

Sharing some helpful information from Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

  • Ask: Research shows people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks after them in a caring way. Findings suggest acknowledging and talking about suicide may reduce rather than increase suicidal ideation.
  • Be There: Individuals are more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking to someone who listens without judgment.
  • Keep Them Safe: A number of studies have indicated that when lethal means are made less available or less deadly, suicide rates by that method decline, and frequently suicide rates overall decline.
  • Follow Up: Studies have also shown that brief, low cost intervention and supportive, ongoing contact may be an important part of suicide prevention, especially for individuals after they have been discharged from hospitals or care services.

The following are training opportunities being presented in the month of September in partnership with the SAM Foundation:

  • September 13, 7-8PM: QPR Training - In an effort to increase awareness of suicide and to increase the number of gatekeepers in our community, we encourage everyone to attend a QPR (Question.Persuade.Refer) class. These are three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. 
  • September 15-16: ASIST Training - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop— anyone 16 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

You won't want to miss our Third Quarter General Membership Meeting. Keynote speaker will be Julie Smith, CEO and Georgia Coordinator of the SAM Foundation. Having experienced the loss of her brother, Sam, to suicide, Julie brings powerful insight into the need for destigmatizing suicide as well as promotion of education for suicide prevention. Click here to register.

While September will have an increased dedication to suicide prevention and awareness, it is vital that we all continue forward in the fight against suicide. We should all continue to advocate for the value of all lives and work to help prevent the loss of life due to this epidemic. Click here for a blog post with more information. Additionally, visit our Mind Your Mind Suicide Prevention web page for more resources.

We also encourage sharing of our social media posts as well as our Mind Your Mind mental health resources to help broaden the reach of providing help to those who are struggling.
988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network.

  • Veterans: press 1 at the prompt.
  • TTY users: use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.

Please note, the previous 1-800-273-TALK (8255) number will continue to function indefinitely.

Ayuda En Español: Lifeline ofrece 24/7, servicios gratuitos en español, y no es necesario hablar inglés si usted necesita ayuda. Cuando usted llama al número 1-888-628-9454, su llamada se dirige al centro de ayuda de nuestra red disponible más cercano. ¡Su llamada es confidencial!
COBB COLLABORATIVE WELCOMES LITERACY COORDINATOR, LESLIE DANFORD
We are happy to announce that the Cobb Collaborative team has grown again! Leslie Danford has recently joined our team as Literacy Coordinator. Leslie's role will be primarily focused on early literacy working within The Basics Cobb County initiative. She looks forward to weaving The Basics into the fabric of the community in Cobb County.
MID-TERM ELECTIONS 2022: IMPORTANT DATES
Your feedback is vital to the success of Cobb Collaborative and we would appreciate it greatly if you would take a few minutes to complete this year's Collaborative Vitality Survey from Georgia Family Connection Partnership. This annual survey allows us to acknowledge and celebrate achievements while identifying areas for improvement and growth. Please click here to complete the survey before November 1, 2022. This is completely voluntary and should take about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your input.
We are consistently adding new events to our calendar! Be sure to check out our website for a full list of upcoming programming.
Thu, Sep 8, 2022 10:00 AM EST
H.A.S.T.E. (Homeless Awareness Strategy Team Meeting)
Dry County Brewing Company, Kennesaw
Fri, Sep 9, 2022 8:30 AM EST
The Intersection
Piedmont Church (Conference Center), Marietta
Sat, Sep 10, 2022 8AM-5PM
Douglas County Community Service Board
5893 Stewart Parkway
Douglasville GA, 30135
Wed, Sep 14, 2022 11:30 AM EST
Third Quarter Quarter General Membership Meeting
The Table, Smyrna
Wed, Sep 21, 2022 9:00 AM EST
Connecting Cobb Veterans - Q3 Meeting
Chattahoochee Technical College - Marietta Campus, Marietta
Attendees, please bring items to help stock United Military Care’s food pantry. Veterans are in need of:

  • Vienna Sausages
  • Soups with pop-tops
  • Peanut Butter Crackers
  • Deodorant Male & Female
  • Chapstick
  • Individual Fruit Servings
Thur Sep 29, 2022
Virtual Recognizing and Managing Secondary Traumatic Stress
Wed, Oct 5, 2022 2:00 PM EST
Community Resiliency Model B-5
Are you involved in the Birth-5 space? Join us for a three hour virtual training on the Community Resiliency Model in partnership with Resilient GA and the Department of Early Care and Learning. CRM Workshops introduce a set of wellness skills designed to help adults and children learn to track their own nervous systems in order to bring the body, mind and spirit back into greater balance, and to encourage people to pass the skills along to family, friends and their wider community. CRM’s goal is to help to create “trauma-informed” and “resiliency-focused” communities that share a common understanding of the impact of trauma and chronic stress on the nervous system and how resiliency can be restored or increased using this skills-based approach.
Wed, Oct 19, 2022 11:30 AM EST
Children & Families Strategy Team
For additional resources, please click here for our Q3 Resource Newsletter.
📢ANNOUNCING A NEW GRANT OPPORTUNITY: COBB THRIVE GRANTS

Consistent with our vision, Cobb Community Foundation is working to create a community fully engaged in meeting needs now and into the future. We want everyone in and around Cobb County to thrive, and that requires strong and supported nonprofits. For this purpose, Cobb Community Foundation is pleased to offer the NEW Cobb Thrive Grant.

◾ Award Amount
◾ Eligibility
◾ How to Apply
◾ Key Dates
UGA Cobb Extension has partnered with the North Georgia State Fair and Georgia Grown for a hay bale decorating contest for youth groups. First prize is $1,000!

There is no fee to register for this contest. The registration form and sketch of hay bale design must be delivered to UGA Cobb County Extension Office, c/o Kathleen McElroy, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, GA, 30060 or emailed to Kathleen.McElroy@cobbcounty.org by Tues., Sept. 6, 5:00pm. Type “Hay Bale Contest” in the subject line. No late submissions will be accepted. Only 25 spots are available. First come, first served. Click here for more information.
Becoming a More Resilient Parent presented by the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy.
Resilience is often thought of as the ability to bounce back from a tough time. In this training we’re going to look at resilience as bouncing forward. Parents frequently model resilience for their children. Our actions – no matter how small – can have a big impact on our children and ultimately, on our communities. This training will discuss our responses to stress, the impacts stress can have, and ways we can promote positive childhood experiences and create resilience through connection.

Target Audience: Parents and Caregivers

Topics covered include:

  • Concrete knowledge about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) using Georgia data
  • Reactions to stress and techniques for dealing with stress
  • Tools for strengthening the resilience of parents and children through relationships

Cost: Free
Follow us on all of our social media channels for regular updates and resources.

Serving the Cobb County Community since 1997.