History

Stand Grow Thrive: Mahoning Resiliency Movement (SGT: MRM) was launched in 2019 with the leadership, partnership, and support of Judge Theresa Dellick of the Mahoning County Juvenile Court and Duane Piccirili from the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board with support from the State of Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Kim Kehl and Joyce Starr.  The foundation that supports SGT began several years before then as many community members, agencies, and organizations were talking about trauma’s impact.  Meg Harris’s work through Ohio’s Lower Northeast Region of the Trauma Informed Care Collaborative helped build capacity for the later work.

In response to the opioid crisis that has been devastating communities throughout Mahoning County in recent years, Mahoning County Juvenile Court and Mental Health and Recovery Board came together to organize educational forums to raise awareness and distribute resources to help the community. This resulted in multiple Community Opioid Summits over 2-3 years. During these summits, organizers heard a recurring theme about unaddressed trauma resulting in substance abuse.  Summit organizers listened and responded: “We see you.  We hear you.  Let’s start talking about trauma.”

Now, SGT:MRM exists as a coalition of community professionals and citizens dedicated to sharing principles of trauma-informed care throughout Mahoning County and beyond. Everyone is encouraged to become a part of this movement. Let’s build a stronger Mahoning Valley!