You’ve probably heard the metaphor of a conductor leading an orchestra: each musician playing a unique role to create a powerful harmony together. In 2025, the Bounce Coalition embraced the role of conductor, guiding partners to build resilience in communities across the Commonwealth to create a beautiful harmony.

Partnerships to Build Resilience  

The Bounce Coalition partnered with a wide range of funders to advance resilience across several initiatives. 

With support from the C.E & S Foundation, Bounce piloted Teen Talks, a youth-led program that creates space for young people to openly discuss topics relevant to their lives while building resilience. Originating with Sowing Seeds With Faith, the Teen Talks model expanded through partnerships with Backside Learning Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana, and Kentucky Refugee Ministries. We look forward to continuing this work in 2026 through our pilot with YMCA Chestnut. 

Through the generous support of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky (FHKY), the Bounce Coalition provided foundational trauma-informed training at no cost to organizations across the state. Bounce facilitated 44 training sessions, reaching more than 650 individuals and strengthening the capacity of professionals across multiple sectors.

Through the FHKY’s Rural-Urban Program, Bounce partnered with Estill County Schools to support their elementary school staff in building adversity-informed knowledge and de-escalation skills to better meet the needs of their students. 

Bounce continued its partnership with the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC), supporting the development of a trauma-informed ecosystem through the Bounce University training model. 

Strengthening Systems and Building New Tools

The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC) awarded the Bounce Coalition funding to strengthen community capacity through resources, education, and awareness to prevent children from using opioids by addressing trauma and associated risk factors. Through this grant, Bounce launched two new training opportunities: 

  • Spiritual First Aid, which equips frontline staff with peer-to-peer spiritual and emotional care skills. 
  • Trauma Informed Training, designed for Kentucky adults who work with youth impacted by substance abuse. 

Bounce also partnered with Kentuckiana Works to develop The Spark Series: Igniting Compassionate Leadership to Retain the Next Generation. This new curriculum seeks to provide employers with the insight and skills to meet the evolving needs of today’s workforce. 

Advancing Learning 

The Bounce Coalition continued to promote cross-sector collaboration and continuous education on trauma and resilience through our signature Grand Rounds programming, which is generously supported by Aetna Better Health of Kentucky®. In 2025, Bounce hosted two statewide learning opportunities: 

 

Building Capacity and Expanding Our Reach

Through the support and guidance of CVS Health, we have strengthened our internal capacity and infrastructure of the Bounce Coalition. Bounce leadership also had the opportunity to learn alongside national partners at the CVS Convening in Chicago, Illinois. A key outcome of this investment will be the launching of the Bounce Strategic Plan for 2025 – 2028. 

Members of the Bounce Coalition had the opportunity to engage a national audience at the 2025 Consortium of State School Boards Association (COSSBA) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. School board members from across the country learned how they could champion adversity-informed initiatives and policies to improve learning outcomes.

Just as a conductor draws together many instruments to create a unified sound, the Bounce Coalition has spent this year guiding partners, communities, and systems toward a shared vision of resilience. As we look ahead to 2026, we look forward to seeing what we can build and accomplish together.