The Bloom of Belonging
For the past 20 years as a music therapist in this community, I’ve had the privilege of working with so many different people.
Therapists. Educators. Case managers. Nurses. Behavioral health specialists. Childhood development experts. Mental health advocates. Medical professionals. Parents. Children. Elders. Families from every walk of life.
And one thing I’ve noticed? Each of these groups often feels a little isolated.
The educators are carrying the weight of classrooms.
The nurses are stretched thin in clinics and hospitals.
Parents are juggling schedules and silent fears.
Children are navigating a world that asks too much of them too soon.
All of us are doing important work - yet so often, doing it separately.
That’s where the dream of The Village Collective of Jackson began.
It’s not just another program. It’s an invitation.
A space where moms and families can come as they are - carrying joy, exhaustion, questions, or even just the need for a meal they didn’t have to cook.
A space where ideas from all corners - healthcare, education, the arts, child development - can meet in the middle, where moms get to say out loud what they actually need, and where we listen.
Because when we connect across those silos, something beautiful happens.
We see that we aren’t alone.
We find resources we didn’t know existed.
We create possibilities that no single one of us could pull off on our own.
That’s belonging.
Not measured by income or background or achievement. Not divided into “your group” and “my group.” Just a space where families are safe, moms are supported, and wellness is something we tend together.
I’ve seen glimpses of this bloom already - in concerts where music connects strangers, in playgroups where moms laugh themselves back to life, in the joy of a child reflected in the smile of someone who simply cares.
The Village Collective is about making those glimpses of our everyday reality.
A place where belonging isn’t just a moment, but the foundation for families, children, and communities to thrive.
