This is our heartbeat: to join God—through the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit—in the work of restoring shalom for all.
Unified in Hope, Walking in Faith
Grace Mid City is a trauma-wise Christian nonprofit in the heart of Baton Rouge, dedicated to holistic healing and human flourishing, rooted in evidence-based, relational practices.
The mission of Grace Mid City is to cultivate human flourishing in Baton Rouge.
We are inspired by Jesus Christ—fully God and fully human—who entered into suffering to carry our burdens and bring healing through His life, death, and resurrection.
Rooted in the love of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we believe the mission of Christ is to restore shalom—a Hebrew word used throughout the Scriptures to describe more than the absence of conflict. Shalom means wholeness, harmony, and flourishing in every part of life: our minds, our bodies, our relationships, our work, our communities, and our souls.
At Grace Mid City, we follow the way of Christ by entering into the pain of trauma with compassion and care, so that people can heal from the inside out, become whole, and transform our city.
Through four integrated centers—Emotional, Physical, Community, and Spiritual—Grace provides wrap-around care while serving as a regional connector, fostering collaboration across sectors to restore wholeness and strengthen systems of care.
Meet The Team
Board of Directors
Why We Exist
Grace Mid City exists to cultivate human flourishing in Baton Rouge. Our use of the phrase human flourishing comes from the Hebrew word Shalom. Shalom means peace, but it also means wholeness and societal harmony; joyful agreement between humans, God and creation. Shalom is the way things ought to be.
We care about shalom because we believe the good news of Jesus Christ is true. Moreover, the good news of Jesus is not just about our souls, it is also about our bodies, our minds, and our relationships.
Therefore we believe that to achieve our mission, we must solve our city’s most pervasive problem: unhealed trauma. It hides in plain sight—in classrooms and courtrooms, breakrooms and bedrooms—shaping behavior, health, and relationships. Left unaddressed, it compounds over a lifetime and across generations. Addressed wisely, it unlocks human flourishing.
Trauma is the lasting impact of overwhelming stress or harm that exceeds a person’s ability to cope. It is not just a bad memory. Trauma leaves a real, physiological imprint on the brain and body—especially when the event is chronic (like abuse, neglect, racism, or household chaos) or early in life.
In short: trauma is a wound—and like any wound, it can be healed.
We cannot announce the good news of Jesus Christ, and only concern ourselves with the spiritual wounds people carry. To follow Jesus, the first true human, is to attend to the whole person’s condition; mind, body, spirit and relationships.
Trauma Impacts Us All
Trauma crosses every neighborhood, income level, and family type—even loving homes face loss, illness, divorce, accidents, or violence.
Over half of U.S. adults report at least one ACE; 1 in 4 experienced two or more.
Trauma drives school failure, chronic illness, addiction, incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment.
It costs the U.S. $592B annually in health care, child welfare, and criminal justice.
People with 4+ ACEs are 2–4x more likely to be unemployed, incarcerated, or on public assistance.
Even small reductions in trauma could save tens of millions annually in Louisiana.
Ignoring trauma is expensive. Healing it is cost-effective: every $1 in early care can save up to $7 later.
What We Mean by ACEs
The original CDC–Kaiser ACE Study identified 10 types of childhood adversity—like abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or addiction—that raise lifelong health and social risks. Newer research adds community violence, racism, bullying, poverty, and housing instability as major sources of toxic stress. Safe, supportive relationships can buffer these effects and help children heal.
ACEs aren’t just in “bad homes.” They can touch any family. That’s why Grace focuses on healing trauma and strengthening protective relationships.
