A recent story on the website of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) program puts a spotlight on the work being done by our Empower Action coalition in Marlboro County.

Empower Marlboro County project

Summer socially-distant gardening workshop teaching families about the sustainability of growing your own food. Photo courtesy of Empower Marlboro County.


Lauren Szymonik

Lauren Szymonik

The Empower Action Model, developed by Children’s Trust as part of the South Carolina Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Initiative, puts local communities at the center of the work to to build health, well-being and resilience for children and families in a way that is racially equitable, sustainable and meaningful.

Our organization is partnering with three coalitions in Marlboro, Oconee and Richland counties to build actionable plans for communities to grow family resilience and prevent child maltreatment. The funding for the community coalitions in South Carolina comes from the U.S. Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program.

This story by MARC, which quotes Lauren Szymonik of Children’s Trust, explains what Empower Marlboro County is accomplishing for families as it puts an action plan into motion. The MARC program routinely shares what cities, counties, regions and states are building a culture of health by translating the science of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) into practices and policies that foster resilience.

Read full MARC story