“Working in schools, I experienced first-hand the critical role teachers play in children’s lives – and as one of the people children interact with most, our teachers can help identify and address the impact of trauma in real ways.” – Donna Edwards, Louisiana

Donna Edwards, the First Lady of Louisiana, serves on the Pathways to Resilience Steering Committee, comprised of seven Governors’ First Spouses who support trauma-responsive efforts in their states and are champions for the initiative. From advocating for children in foster care to fighting childhood hunger to advancing access to the arts and music, these First Spouses advocate for a wide range of trauma-responsive policies and programs. The other Steering Committee members include Dawn Amano-Ige (Hawaii), Lauren Baker (Massachusetts), Tracey Quillen Carney (Delaware), Kristin Cooper (North Carolina), Abby Cox (Utah), and Susanne Shore (Nebraska).

In the third video in our series featuring Steering Committee members, Mrs. Edwards discusses how the Louisiana First Foundation, an organization she established upon becoming First Lady of Louisiana, promotes child wellbeing through initiatives focused on teaching music, arts and movement in schools; supporting partnerships with government to support foster children and their caregivers; and preventing human trafficking.

Pathways to Resilience is a national initiative that aims to advance trauma-responsive policies and programs, like those supported by Mrs. Edwards and the Louisiana First Foundation, to promote equity, lifelong health, and well-being.