Strength starts with knowing you’re not alone.
Sunday, October 18
10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
IMPACT (25 Industrial Park Rd.
Middletown, CT 06457)
Why Attend
self-defense
Learn simple, practical techniques to build awareness and confidence.
domestic violence awareness
Learn about prevention, resources and ways to support survivors.
mental wellness & hope
Hear messages centered on resilience, mental wellness, rebuilding and hope.
personal & home safety
Take away practical tips you can use in your everyday life.
connection & community
Come together with others who believe in creating safer, stronger communities.
financial wellness
Explore the connection between financial well-being, mental health and confidence.
Meet Your Host & Featured Speaker
Host & Featured Speaker
Mimi Gonzalez | Creator House Founder, Speaker & Community Builder
Mimi Gonzalez is a creator, creator economy strategist, speaker, and community builder who has spent her career bringing people together around ideas that create change. Her roots are in community organizing and social impact, including her work as an Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps Fellow, before she became one of the youngest executives at a Fortune 500 company at 24 years old. She also holds a Masters in Organizational Psyhology and held several positions in Human Resources, DE&I, and Communications throughout Corporate America.
Today, Mimi is the founder of Creator House, where she builds community, experiences, and partnerships that create more opportunities for creators, while advising businesses and institutions on how to meaningfully work with the creator economy. She also founded and hosts griefsense, a media platform born from her experience navigating profound loss and exploring what it means to create, rebuild, and romanticize life after loss.
Mimi’s work and story have been featured across NBC, FOX61, Univision, CT Buzz, and other media. Across everything she builds is a philosophy that has become both her personal mantra and an invitation to others: life is a privilege.
Featured Speakers & Experiences
Money, Mental Wellness & You
LaQueshia Clemons, LCSW, AFC® | Freedom Life Therapy & Wellness
Our financial lives and mental wellness are often more connected than we realize. LaQueshia Clemons is a financial therapist and founder of Freedom Life Therapy & Wellness, where she helps individuals and couples understand the emotional and behavioral roots of their relationship with money.
Through a trauma-informed, judgment-free approach, LaQueshia helps people move from financial stress toward greater confidence, clarity and stability. Her message will explore the connection between financial wellness and overall well-being.
Top 10 Personal & Home Safety Tips
Justin Hanson | Hanson Security Group
Learn practical safety tips you can use at home and in everyday life from someone with more than 28 years of law enforcement and protective services experience.
Justin Hanson is the owner of Hanson Security Group and a former U.S. Secret Service Special Agent who spent more than 25 years in federal protective services. His career includes protecting high-level government officials, coordinating complex security operations around the world and leading investigations into financial crimes.
Justin will share 10 practical personal and home safety tips designed to help you become more aware, prepared and confident in your everyday surroundings.
Domestic Violence Prevention & Support
Kathleen “Kasey” Harding, MPH | Center for Key Populations & New Horizons Domestic Violence Services
Kasey Harding brings extensive experience working with vulnerable populations and community health programs. She currently serves as Director of the Center for Key Populations and Director of New Horizons Domestic Violence Services, a program dedicated to supporting individuals and families impacted by domestic violence through advocacy, education, safety planning and connections to resources.
Kasey will share insight into domestic violence prevention, available services and ways our community can better support survivors. Her message will help attendees better understand the resources available and how each of us can play a role in creating safer, more supportive communities.
Self-Defense Mini Class
Kayla Stomberg | 360 Defense Martial Arts
Get hands-on with simple, practical self-defense techniques designed to help you feel more aware, prepared and confident.
Kayla Stomberg is the owner and Head Instructor of 360 Defense Martial Arts in Middletown, CT. With more than 18 years of teaching experience and a lifetime in martial arts, Kayla is a 5th Degree Black Belt in the 360 Defense System and a Black Belt with the United States Krav Maga Association.
Her approach to self-defense is empowering and approachable, focusing on practical skills, awareness, boundaries and confidence. Attendees will learn simple techniques they can put into action.
Your Ticket Makes an Impact
Your ticket supports Ellafi Kind, helping us give back to the community and support initiatives that empower women, girls and survivors.
Sunday, October 18
10:30 AM–1:00 PM
IMPACT | 25 Industrial Park Rd., Middletown, CT
Recommended for ages 12+
Strength Is Something We Build Together
A safer, stronger community starts with awareness, education and showing up for one another.
Join us for a morning of practical tools, meaningful conversations and messages of hope as we learn how to recognize the signs, support survivors, protect ourselves and build greater confidence.
Your presence matters. Your voice matters. And your strength can make a difference.
Important Event Information
Participant Waiver & Release
Participation in Ellafi Kind Strength in Action includes activities such as our self-defense mini class. Please review our Participant Waiver & Release before registering for the event.
Photography & Video
Photography and video will take place during the event. By registering and attending, you acknowledge that you may be photographed or recorded and that images, video and/or audio may be used by Ellafi Kind and Ellafi Federal Credit Union for promotional, marketing, social media, website and community outreach purposes.