BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Social Current - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.social-current.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Social Current REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260415T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260415T140000 DTSTAMP:20260410T120141 CREATED:20260312T171007Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T201939Z UID:10000595-1776258000-1776261600@www.social-current.org SUMMARY:Leveraging Messaging to Strengthen Legislative Advocacy DESCRIPTION:Register \n \n Legislative advocacy is most impactful when community-based organizations translate lived experience and program impact into clear\, compelling messages that resonate with decisionmakers. As our federal policy environment continues to shift rapidly\, it is becoming increasingly important that human services organizations are prepared to communicate succinctly\, strategically\, and with confidence\, as they detail the impact within their communities. \nOur April Grassroots Advocacy Network convening will offer a practical framework for strengthening legislative advocacy through effective testimony\, elevator pitches\, and tailored messaging. Participants will explore how to distill complex issues into persuasive narratives\, customize messages to different audiences\, and align advocacy communications with organizational values and goals. \nParticipants will also examine common challenges\, including responding to urgent situations\, adapting messaging across legislative contexts\, and ensuring community voices remain present. Through applied exercises and peer discussion\, participants will build skills to engage lawmakers and influence outcomes more effectively. \nTakeaways\n\nStrategies to develop and refine elevator pitches for policy and advocacy leaders\nTools to customize messaging for legislators\, staff\, and committees\nBest practices for aligning advocacy messages with organizational priorities\n\nWho Should Attend\n\nExecutive Directors and Senior Management: Leaders responsible for setting organizational strategy and engaging with policymakers and stakeholders\nAdvocacy and Policy Directors: Individuals who develop and implement advocacy strategies and engage in policy analysis and outreach\nCommunications and Public Relations Managers: Professionals focused on crafting and disseminating the organization’s message to the public and media\nProgram Managers and Coordinators: Staff who oversee program implementation and need to align program goals with advocacy efforts\nMembers of the Social Current Grassroots Advocacy Network: Join online\n\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Blair Abelle-Kiser\, PhD\n \n Senior Director of Government Affairs\nSocial Current \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Blair Abelle-Kiser\, PhD\n Senior Director of Government Affairs\nSocial Current \n \n Blair Kiser\, Ph.D.\, joined Social Current in 2022 after working in health policy on Capitol Hill\, the non-profit sector\, and as a biomedical researcher. Most recently\, Blair served as Director of Government Relations & Advocacy for NephCure Kidney International. \nDuring their time in public service\, they served as a Professional Staff Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. They led a corporate investigation regarding insider trading and financial improprieties\, conflicts of interest associated with Operation Warp Speed’s leadership\, and scientific information politicization. Prior to joining the Select Subcommittee\, they worked for Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)\, where they served as a Health Policy Fellow. In Senator Brown’s office\, they led a range of legislative and oversight efforts involving public health and healthcare. During the COVID-19 pandemic\, they worked with several community hospice advocacy organizations and a Republican office to help craft the bipartisan COVID-19 Hospice Respite Care Relief Act of 2020. \nPrior to public service\, Blair spent several years as a medical research scientist on several industry and NIH-funded projects. Their work focused on developing research projects and clinical trials to improve the lives of African Americans with Sickle Cell Disease. They earned a doctorate in Biomedical Science from Morehouse School of Medicine in 2017 and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Kentucky in 2011. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Abigail Levine\, MSW\n \n Field Mobilization and Policy Manager\nSocial Current \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Abigail Levine\, MSW\n Field Mobilization and Policy Manager\nSocial Current \n \n Abigail Levine\, MSW\, joined Social Current in 2024 as its field mobilization and policy manager. Abigail has worked closely at the state and local levels to implement robust trauma-informed programming\, increase children’s access to positive childhood experiences\, and promote safer experiences within schools for children with disabilities. In her previous role as a policy analyst\, Abigail worked closely with multiple stakeholders\, including parents\, educators\, and law enforcement\, to develop\, advocate for\, and implement legislation representative of their community’s unique needs. URL:https://www.social-current.org/event/leveraging-messaging-to-strengthen-legislative-advocacy/ CATEGORIES:Policy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.social-current.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Policy-Advocacy_1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260420T235959 DTSTAMP:20260410T120141 CREATED:20260121T204644Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260121T211825Z UID:10000589-1776643200-1776729599@www.social-current.org SUMMARY:On the Road: CWLA 2026 National Conference  DESCRIPTION:The Work Ahead: Practice\, Policy\, and Possibility\n \n See You in Arlington\, Virginia \nJoin us in Arlington\, Virginia\, April 20-22. \nAre you attending this event? \nStop by the Social Current booth to pick up some cool swag and visit with Rachael Rucker\, manager of network engagement and growth\, to learn more about our wide range of solutions including COA Accreditation\, Impact Partnerships\, consulting\, and more! \n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Event\nThe CWLA 2026 Conference will take place April 20-22. Across the country\, people are doing good work—innovating\, protecting\, strengthening families\, and partnering with communities. This year’s conference is about lifting up what works and asking how we carry that work forward in new and more sustainable ways. URL:https://www.social-current.org/event/on-the-road-cwla-2026-national-conference/ CATEGORIES:On the Road ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.social-current.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/On-the-Road.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260427T235959 DTSTAMP:20260410T120141 CREATED:20260211T214719Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T215207Z UID:10000582-1777248000-1777334399@www.social-current.org SUMMARY:On the Road: NatCon26  DESCRIPTION:See You in Denver\n \n Join us in Denver from April 27-29.  \nAre you attending this event? \nVisit the Social Current booth to learn about our range of solutions and our upcoming webinars and learning opportunities. Plus\, you can take some Social Current swag with you!  \n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Event\nThe National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s #NatCon26 features over 500 speakers and solutions-driven sessions on topics critical to our field\, like crisis response\, workforce diversity\, and rural health care. With its focus on advancing mental wellbeing and equitable access to services\, NatCon26 is an essential gathering for anyone committed to making a positive impact in the behavioral health field.  URL:https://www.social-current.org/event/on-the-road-natcon26/ CATEGORIES:On the Road ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.social-current.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/On-the-Road.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260429T140000 DTSTAMP:20260410T120141 CREATED:20260403T165559Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T165601Z UID:10000607-1777467600-1777471200@www.social-current.org SUMMARY:Father Engagement: Strengthening Families Across Prevention\, Healing\, and Belonging DESCRIPTION:Register \n \n “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person—he believed in me\,” said famed NC State Basketball Coach Jim Valvano. That belief\, rooted in presence\, encouragement\, and connection\, is the heart of father engagement. This session will challenge common myths about fathers by centering current data\, lived experiences\, and the vital roles fathers play in promoting family and child well‑being. Participants will examine how intentionally investing in engaging fathers builds a powerful protective factor for children\, families\, and communities. \nApril’s designation as National Child Abuse Prevention Month highlights the importance of prevention\, protection\, and inclusion for children and families. This session will explore how meaningful father engagement serves as a powerful\, yet often overlooked\, strategy across these efforts. \nTogether\, we will explore the conditions that support meaningful father engagement and consider what it looks like to truly “be the change in the community” by designing services that actively welcome\, value\, and partner with fathers. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the systemic and relational barriers that can limit father involvement and learn practical\, strengths‑based strategies to elevate fathers as essential caregivers. \nParticipants will leave with practical\, strengths-based strategies to design services that actively engage fathers and contribute to safer\, more stable\, and thriving communities. \nThis webinar is not a devaluation of mothers\, but a purposeful uplifting of fathers\, recognizing that when all caregivers are supported and engaged\, families thrive. \nTakeaways\n\nBarriers to father engagement\nStrategies that intentionally engage and support fathers\n\nWho Should Attend\n\nHuman services supervisors and program managers\nJuvenile justice\, child welfare\, and housing professionals\nHuman services leaders\, policymakers\, and funders\nFront-line staff (caseworkers\, family support specialists\, outreach workers)\nParent partners and individuals with lived experience\n\n \n\n \n\n \n \n \n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tori Brasher-Weathers (she/her)\n \n Programs and Partnerships Manager\nInstitute for Family \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Tori Brasher-Weathers (she/her)\n Programs and Partnerships Manager\nInstitute for Family \n \n Tori Brasher‑Weathers serves as the program and partnerships manager at the Institute for Family\, a program of the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. In this role\, she leads strategic partnership development\, multisector stakeholder engagement\, and community‑centered program implementation. Tori builds and sustains collaborative relationships with external partners and represents the Institute and its Mission InCommon initiative at workshops\, conferences\, and community events across the state. \nWhether building partnerships\, facilitating community storytelling\, or designing transformative learning experiences\, Tori approaches her work as a calling—reimagining systems of care\, elevating family voices\, and helping create the conditions in which children\, families\, and communities can flourish for generations to come. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Romero Davis\n \n Senior Director of Child & Family Well-Being \n \n Biography\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Romero Davis\n Senior Director of Child & Family Well-Being \n \n Romero Davis is the senior director of child and family well-being at Social Current. A mentor for professional development and community justice champion\, Davis has worked nationally with agencies in areas such as poly-victimization; trauma in families; equity\, diversity\, and inclusion; juvenile justice; and domestic violence. He is a member of the technical assistance team for Child Safety Forward. URL:https://www.social-current.org/event/father-engagement-strengthening-families-across-prevention-healing-and-belonging/ CATEGORIES:Child and Family Well-Being ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.social-current.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Safety-Resilience_5.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR