Honoring Our Third Year
October 09, 2025, 6:00 - 8:00 PM | Union Mills Public House
About Blossom & Bloom
This annual fundraiser builds on the original event hosted by Change the Conversation in 2023, and the powerful community momentum that has propelled us forward since.
Honoring our 3rd year of this event, we invite you to dress in shades of pink, white, and teal, representing our community’s commitment to ending child sexual abuse (CSA).
Thank You to Our Prevention Impact Patron, HAVTECH!
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.
This year's Blossom & Bloom will feature 2 remarkable speakers from local schools, including Christine Tobias, joining us to share their experience with Turn the Talk.
Christine C. Tobias is an experienced educator with over three decades of experience in teaching, curriculum development, and instructional leadership. She recently retired from Carroll County Public Schools where she served as the Assistant Supervisor of Health Education. She has led PreK–12 health curriculum initiatives, supervised educators, and built strong community partnerships to support prevention efforts.
Christine holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College and is certified in Administration I, Health Education, Elementary Education, and ESOL.
Her leadership extends beyond the school system through active involvement with
statewide health education task forces and curriculum development committees,
including the Maryland Comprehensive Health Education Framework and MSDE's Sexual Assault Prevention Curriculum. A dedicated advocate for student wellness,
Christine also trains educators in evidence-based programs such as Sources of Strength. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at Frostburg State University and remains deeply engaged in shaping health education policy and practice at both the local and state levels.
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.
