The Bounce Coalition had the opportunity to attend the CVS Health Foundation: Centering Youth Mental Health grantee convening from October 9-10, 2025 at the Community Trust Foundation in Chicago, Illinois.
The agenda was co-designed with cohort members and had a specific focus on catching up on the state of our collective work since the 2024 convening, fostering a deep sense of collective action, alignment and support, cultivating renewed hope, and building shared strategies and solutions.
Coalition cohort members included:
- Bounce Coalition – Kentucky
- Flint ReCAST – Flint, Michigan
- Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County – Tampa, Florida
- Reinvent South Stockton Coalition – Stockton, California
- San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative – San Antonio, Texas
- Youth Mental Health System of Care for Winnebago and Boone Counties – Illinois
Representing the Bounce Coalition, Hannah Edelen and Keith Hickman reflected on the convenings impact.
Hickman described the CVS convening in Chicago as a powerful opportunity to strengthen relationships and strategically position Bounce for future partnership with the CVS Foundation. He noted that the Bounce Capacity Building Report reflected significant growth since the first convening, showing that the coalition is well-positioned to fully advance its strategic plan and build for the future. Hickman also acknowledged the strong collaboration he and Edelen bring to the CVS partnership, noting that both are well respected for the insights they bring to the space.
Edelen reflected, “The convening consisted of rich opportunities to meet fellow colleagues across the county working to elevate mental health for youth and families and created space to discuss common conundrums, possibilities, and next steps for advancing coalition work”.
Coalition members left with a renewed sense of hope, additional tools and solutions for addressing challenges, and greater relationships with cohort members and CVS Health Foundation leadership. A special thank you to CVS Health Foundation leaders for making this convening possible.
