Marly Santoro first joined SCAN's Board of Young Professionals in 2017. She served in several leadership roles within the BYP including Holiday Shop Chair, Engagement Chair, and Chair of the BYP. We are excited that Marly has joined SCAN's Board of Directors this year! Her passion for our mission, dedication, grace, and leadership have been a great asset to SCAN and she has been a wonderful addition to the Board of Directors.

How did you first get involved with SCAN?

I first got introduced to SCAN in 2015 while volunteering at the Holiday Shop. I was in awe of the amount of support from community groups, volunteers and members of the Board of Young Professionals that were there to lend a hand in making a winter wonderland for children and their families. The event brought together people who were passionate about helping children and making their communities better. It was a lovely experience. From that day, I knew I had to get involved and support SCAN’s mission.

What has your life/work experience been that brought you to SCAN? What is your current role?

The act of service and giving back was instilled by my parents at an early age. I volunteered in food pantries, nursing homes and animal shelters. During college, I led Alternative Spring Breaks trips to Savannah, GA and Biloxi, MS where we helped with hurricane disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina. My educational background is in Social Work with a focus on macro and public policy. I’ve worked as a lobbyist advocating for national healthcare associations, coordinated nonprofit programs, and was the State Director of a Medicare fraud program.

I’m fortunate to continue my public service career with the State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Insurance. The Bureau regulates the insurance industry in the Commonwealth. I’m the Manager of Outreach and Education where I create consumer awareness campaigns, develop educational literature and build partnerships across the state. My work is on fostering relationships and I hope to bridge new partnerships and opportunities for SCAN as a Board Member.

What inspires you to stay involved with your work at SCAN?

The passionate and dedicated staff. They truly go above and beyond. They’re innovative in their approaches to provide the awareness, treatment and advocacy to enhance the lives of children. It is inspiring to be part of this dynamic organization.

What has been the best experience with SCAN so far?

I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of the BYP for the past 8 years. Without a doubt, being the Chair of the Holiday Shop has been my favorite experience. It was one of the few opportunities the BYP was able to directly interact with the families that SCAN serves. The BYP decorates, organizes arts and crafts, brings in Santa and provides gifts during the holiday season where all children and families deserve extra love and support. The excitement in the families and joy we were able to provide was unmatched. The Holiday Shop provided gifts to over 300 children.

What are any challenges you have faced in your work with SCAN? 

The COVID pandemic was a humbling experience. I was proud of how quickly SCAN adapted to continue its critical work for the community. As a member of the BYP, we had to safely modify the Holiday Shop and the Blue & White Ball transitioned to the Spring Fling. Both events were a success and a testament of how creative, flexible and resourceful SCAN staff and volunteers are.

Are you involved with any other community organizations, hobbies, or activities?

I love to travel and explore new cultures with my family. We recently visited Cartagena, Colombia. So far, I’ve traveled to 16 countries and visited 36 states. I also enjoy taking fitness classes at BOHO Studios, hiking or trying new cuisines in Richmond with my husband, Jeremy and 2-year old son, Julian.

What might someone be surprised to learn about you?

My parents are from Peru, and Spanish is my native language. I learned to read and speak English by reading the back of cereal boxes and watching educational shows on PBS.

Congratulations New CASA Volunteers!

Congratulations to our newest CASA Volunteers! These remarkable individuals completed training over the summer and were officially sworn in at the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court earlier this month. We are thankful for their commitment to ensuring ever child has an advocate!

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2024 training class.

Find out more information and apply here

Questions? Contact Sarah-Keel Crews

SCAN's CASA Program in the News

SCAN's CASA program recently expanded to serve Petersburg and is in critical need of volunteers to serve children in both Petersburg and Richmond. There are currently over 90 children on our waitlist. Check out a recent news story from CBS6, including an interview with SCAN Volunteer Coordinator, Sarah-Keel Crews.

Read or watch the full CBS6 Story here.

Get your office, team, or group involved in raising funds to support children right here in Richmond this November by joining ‘Staches for SCAN!

Sign up to join Greater Richmond SCAN’s Mustaches for Kids team this growing season! Your support will directly help children and families served by Greater Richmond SCAN.

Scared to grow a 'stache yourself?

You can also donate to the SCAN team here.

Find more information and details about how to join the SCAN team here.

Share this flyer with your friends, colleagues, and others to encourage

them to join the team too!

Questions? Contact Sarah Mersereau

Friday, October 25, 2024

Salisbury Country Club - Richmond

A one-day event for tennis and pickleball

players, with the common goal of

supporting Richmond's children.

All funds raised will benefit Greater Richmond SCAN.

Registration will go live on

Thursday, September 3rd at 10:00 a.m.

Space is limited.

Trunk registration is now open!

Trunk or Treat is a different spin on Trick-or Treating where local businesses/organizations and community members park and decorate the trunk of your car and pass out candy as kids “trunk or treat” from car-to-car. Trunk or Treat allows kids to have all the trick-or-treating fun without crossing streets or worrying about traffic.

In addition to trunk or treating, guests can enjoy family friendly fall activities, food trucks, and enter a raffle for a chance to win a few awesome prizes! Hardywood West Creek will be donating a portion of sales during the event to Greater Richmond SCAN.

Registration for each car is $15, with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit Greater Richmond SCAN. 

Learn more and register your trunk today!

TICN Healing Centered Organizations Initiative

In 2012, Greater Richmond SCAN created the first Trauma Informed Community Network (TICN) in Virginia. The GRITCN is comprised of individuals representing healthcare, education, legal and courts, social services, the community, and other sectors throughout the Greater Richmond region. The GRTICN aims to build a more equitable, safe, trauma-informed, and resilient community by informing, supporting, and elevating the Greater Richmond (VA) region. GRTICN’s mission is driven by the following priorities: preventing and mitigating the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); advancing trauma-informed practice and policies; and advocating for trauma-informed system change. SCAN now continues to provide leadership and technical support to the Virginia TICN network, which has grown to include 31 networks.

One committee of the GRTICN, the Legal and Courts Committee, has had the opportunity to participate in the Healing Centered Organizations Initiative, through Virginia Department of Social Services. This project provided funding and support to five local agencies within TICNs to engage in a trauma-informed organizational assessment, strategic planning, and begin the process of implementing their strategic plan to become more healing-centered both internally, with their workforce, and externally, with the children, families, and individuals that they serve.

This six-minute video, developed with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding

appropriated to support Virginia's Trauma-Informed Community Networks (TICNs),

discusses the process of becoming a trauma-informed and healing-centered organization, from conducting an agency assessment to analyzing the data and developing a

strategic plan to engaging in the implementation of the plan. Participants in the video, who represent TICNs engaging in the process, share highlights of the process along with the importance of the work in supporting staff well-being. 

For more information on this project or the TICN, contact Charlotte Eure

Give a Gift Through United Way 

When you join a United Way campaign, you have the opportunity to choose how your contribution is spent. You can have your gift distributed for you or you can give your gift to a specific organization.  

SCAN is eligible to receive donor designations through the

United Way campaigns.   

Our campaign codes are as follows:

United Way Campaign: #3343 (please also list SCAN)

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): #82607

Local Government & Schools (LGS): #166

 Stewards of Children (Virtual)

August 28, 2024

10:00am-12:30pm ET via Zoom

Stewards of Children® is an evidence-informed, award-winning two and a half hour training that teaches adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Through interviews with a very diverse group of people with lived experience, experts, and treatment providers, Stewards of Children® teaches adults practical actions they can take to reduce instances of child sexual abuse in their organizations, families, and communities.

Use discount code FFVAV23 when registering.

Registration Link: https://d2l.coalitionmanager.org/eventmanager/trainingevent/details/460

Self-Care and Wellness

September 4, 2024

1:00-2:30pm ET via Zoom 

This training will help participants develop an understanding of how stress and trauma affect our state of well-being. We will explore wellness and self-care practices and tools that help promote emotional regulation, compassion, empathy, and calm in our environments. In addition, we will examine ways to create healthy boundaries to establish safe and positive relationships with the self and with others.

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctdeuurDkjGdAYr-02dnACSo7ozH08BREV

Trauma-Informed Supervision

September 12, 2024

10:00-11:30am ET via Zoom

Trauma-informed supervision explores the role of a supervisor in supervision, how to create a psychologically safe supervisory environment, and how to identify and offer support to staff experiencing vicarious trauma.

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckcO-vpjMoHNPUsS3IY4jFKUQYh9q2SHgR

Impact of Trauma Exposure on Professionals

September 18, 2024

3:00-4:30pm ET via Zoom 

This training will help participants identify symptoms and warning signs of traumatic stress as well as learn the differences between three common trauma exposure responses: secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. We will discuss strategies for responding to trauma exposure and provide resources that professionals can use to mitigate the impact of trauma exposure and improve wellness.

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpd-isqz8iG92euv7wmbiFO_xvRZQaf4zX

Playing for Keeps (film screening)

September 19, 2024

3:00-4:30pm ET via Zoom

Playing for Keeps: The Upside of Downtime examines the value of play through a health lens. We feature high-performing individuals who prioritize play as essential to a happier life. We witness how play is a particularly powerful antidote to those subjected to stress and danger on the job, while highlighting the power of a playful approach to our daily lives, regardless of our circumstance.

Learn more about the film at https://kpjrfilms.co/playing-for-keeps/ 

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvd-uoqToqG9CHuZdGGZPQO3qVXhBoONmV

Introduction to Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care

September 24, 2024

12:00-2:00pm ET via Zoom

This training provides a foundational learning experience around the topics of trauma and trauma-informed care. We will define trauma, discuss the many types of trauma/adversity, explore the impact of trauma on the brain and behavior, introduce resilience, and discuss SAMHSA’s 4 Rs of trauma-informed care. Throughout the presentation, we will share useful tools and techniques.

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtd-morz4vGNA166VLebIKcjTrKcWwJHZ3

Trauma-Informed Technique Tuesday: Trauma-Informed Design

September 24, 2024

2:30-3:00pm ET via Zoom

Based on your feedback, we’ve designed these sessions to provide quick overviews of different trauma-informed tools and techniques that you can implement personally or with clients. This week, we will be exploring ways to use trauma-informed principles to make the spaces where we live, work, and play more welcoming. We will explore different checklists related to trauma-informed design and discuss the importance of fostering things like safety and accessibility within the spaces we frequent.

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtduGrqz8rG9H__21TsUeauEPsDdAZxS6O

Importance of Long-Lasting Relationships

September 25, 2024

10:00-11:30am ET via Zoom

Join Greater Richmond SCAN's Community Engagement Specialist, Tamika Daniel, for an interactive conversation based on her life experience with building the types of relationships that are supportive in accomplishing goals. The conversation will include challenges and barriers to supportive relationships and offer ways to overcome these.

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAudeivpjkoHNPJeqqkdq4cB5CT87qTsr1S

*Some of these trainings are eligible for Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) from the National Association of Social Workers. Check SCAN's training page for details.