It takes a village, and The Martinsburg Initiative is building bridges with other community organizations and entities to make a scalable difference on a local level. By many measures, kids that experience a childhood with adversity, turmoil or occasional instability for a multitude of reasons can have profound consequences.
Helping children overcome Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – or avoid them all together – is the ultimate mission of The Martinsburg Initiative. ACEs range from physical, emotional and sexual absuse to physical and emotional neglect: to a host of various other hardships that a child can face at home:
When a child undergoes this kind of chronic trauma, they can often develop a toxic level of stress that overloads the body’s normal stress responses, harming developing systems. During early childhood especially, this level of dysfunction can affect a childs brain making things like self-control, planning and learning harder to navigate. Simultaneously, it can also amplify fear, anxiety and impulse responses – all of which can contribute to a cycle of chronic issues, illness and mental health as an adult.
The greater number of ACEs a child experiences, the greater risk that child has of growing up to abuse drugs or alcohol, suicide and impaired ability to make decisions.
“In our time with The Martinsburg Initiative, we’ve learned that the majority of people don’t really realize that they’ve been impacted by ACEs. Building these resources to help not only advocate for early prevention and education, but also ensures that a continual message of hope and help remains a major focus. The community stance of “It’s okay and you’re not alone in this” is probably the most powerfully healing aspect of the work TMI does.”
– Jessi Knipe, LovelyPixels
“With intervention and a community network of support – children with ACEs can overcome the childhood “stalling” that happens developmentally. In providing the family as a whole with local options and positive reinforcement – we’re helping families develop a sense of trust, hope, motivation or purpose and even a sense of self.”
– Margaret Kursey, TMI Director
Working hand in hand with The Martinsburg Initiative, our team has strategized over a collection or brands, digital communications, social strategy and content production to help them amplify their message. Speaking directly to stakeholders, local educators and students, and especially parents. Since 2020, our partnership has helped TMI reshape their image to match the aggressive non-profit growth track and national recognition.
Interested in collaborating with LovelyPixels?
It starts with a simple conversation.
TMI focuses on the family and providing support through local schools and building programs that support strengthening the family by building upon their strengths. This support network provides:
As TMI has grown over the years so has the need for a broader footprint online. Our strategy included repositioning the website tto be modern and engaging through:
Leveraging a strong annual content plan that is a hybrid of national and regional topics, events, initiatives and parent-focused tips – our team provides a cohesive delivery of visual and written content that connects parents, caregivers and community members alike.
