Honoring Our Third Year
October 09, 2025, 6:00 - 8:00 PM | Union Mills Public House
About Blossom & Bloom
Event Sponsors
Thank You to Our Prevention Impact Patron, HAVTECH!
The Natelli Communities Charitable Fund of
Thank You to Our Crucial Conversations Sponsors!
Robert & Pamela Piro
Mark & Susan Butt
Darren & Julie Clark
Annette & Doug Tinder
Nicholas Steier
Law Office of Lena A. Clark, LLC
What to Expect
5:00 - 6:00 PM
We're delighted to include a VIP Cocktail Reception for our sponsors and their guests this year, offering an intimate space for connecting with community leaders and the Change the Conversation team.
Christine Tobias
Assistant Supervisor of Health Education
Carroll County Public Schools
Meet Christine
Christine Tobias is a seasoned educator, leader, and advocate with more than 30 years of experience in teaching, curriculum development, and cultivating inclusive, student-centered learning environments. As Assistant Supervisor of Health Education for Carroll County Public Schools, Christine led preK-12 health initiatives, mentored educators, and forged strong community partnerships to advance prevention-focused education.
Her impact extends far beyond the county. Christine played a key role in developing the Maryland Comprehensive Health Education Framework and helped shape the Maryland State Department of Education’s Sexual Assault Prevention Curriculum, bringing her expertise and vision to state-level health education policy.
Christine holds a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College and has served as adjunct faculty at Frostburg State University. She continues to be a powerful voice in shaping health education policy and practice across Maryland.
Christine is also the founding force behind Turn the Talk. Her leadership and foresight sparked the expansion of its programming, touching the lives of thousands of Maryland students and setting a new standard for health education advocacy.
Carrie Berman
Middle School Health Teacher
Carroll County Public Schools
Meet Carrie
Carrie Berman is a respected and passionate educator with over 30 years of experience in health education. Known for her dedication to students and innovative teaching, Carrie has made a lasting impact in Carroll County’s classrooms, particularly at West Middle School, where her work has touched generations of learners.
Carrie’s background includes early leadership roles in student discipline, residential life supervision, and coaching girls’ basketball and softball, which deepened her understanding of student wellness and the broader needs of school communities. She has also made significant contributions beyond her own classroom. Carrie writes the annual curriculum used by all middle school health teachers in Carroll County and has served on the Maryland State Board of Education’s curriculum writing team. As a member of the Teacher Advisory Council, she helped shape district-wide policies with student well-being at the center.
A tireless advocate for health education, Carrie is a driving force behind Turn the Talk. Her commitment to student health continues to ripple outward, strengthening classrooms, communities, and state-level education.
Meet the speakers
ABOUT Turn the Talk:
Evidence-Inspired Prevention Education
Equipping Young People with Tools to Address Child Sexual Abuse
Turn the Talk is Change the Conversation's flagship prevention education program that partners with educators across Maryland to deliver comprehensive awareness and training directly to school communities. Our evidence-inspired approach equips students with a foundational understanding of child sexual abuse—including its definition, legal and policy context, and effects—while building practical skills in reporting, resource evaluation, and survivor advocacy.
2024-2025 Academic Year Highlights
10,562
through 395 classroom presentations in 24 unique schools, working alongside 35 dedicated teachers who serve as champions for prevention education in their communities.
Educator Approval
100%
of surveyed educators reported that the majority of students gained valuable knowledge and skills from Turn the Talk presentations. All respondents affirmed they would recommend the program to colleagues.
New Learning
96%
of students report learning something new, with key takeaways including understanding reporting procedures, recognizing that abuse affects all demographics, identifying online safety risks, and learning about legal protections for survivors.
BECOME A SPONSOR
Our 2025 sponsorship levels are designed to reflect the specific outcomes and impact areas of Turn the Talk programming, and your leadership in supporting this work. Each level outlined below
represents a meaningful investment in the safety and wellbeing of Frederick County students.
Online Safety Sponsor
This sponsorship level helps us deliver sixty Turn the Talk sessions.
Crucial Conversations Sponsor
This sponsorship level helps us deliver forty Turn the Talk sessions.
Prevention Strategy Sponsor
This sponsorship level helps us deliver twentyTurn the Talk sessions.
About Change the Conversation
Change the Conversation’s mission is to engage all communities in the prevention of and healing from child sexual abuse. We envision a world where we all understand the innumerable impacts of child sexual abuse and are compelled to eliminate it.
Our Core Values
Empathy
- We create space for people to share their experiences honestly and without fear.
Learning and Growth - We commit to learning, growth, and change – both individually and collectively.
Support
- We acknowledge that we all need support in our lives to thrive.
Integrity - We act courageously so that all we do, individually and collectively, actually advances the organization’s community outcomes in alignment with our stated values and core beliefs.
