About Common Ground Society
Our Mission
We share the stories of our lives to educate and empower our community to be more compassionate, accepting, and inclusive of people with disabilities. Common Ground Society™ ensures that all families feel a sense of belonging through meaningful connections and local support.
Our Vision
Individuals of all abilities are entitled to belong in every aspect of society. Inclusion is not only a right, but a strength that enables society to thrive. HELLO.BELONGING.™
Common Ground Society (CGS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, empowering, and supporting families of children and adults with disabilities, medical needs, or unique learning and developmental profiles.
Rooted in lived experience and guided by compassion, CGS works to build inclusive communities where every child and family feels understood, accepted, and supported.
Founded by parents who recognized the need for meaningful connection and practical guidance, CGS provides programs that bring families together, offer essential resources, and educate the broader community.
What We Do
Our Story
Common Ground Society began at a small preschool in 2018, when founders Larkin and Jessica gave a simple classroom presentation about Down syndrome for World Down Syndrome Day. What happened next changed everything.
The presentation was featured in the Press Democrat, and word spread quickly. Teachers across the county began reaching out, asking “Just Two Moms”—as Larkin and Jessica soon became known—to speak to their classes. As more families and educators reached out, it became clear that the need was far bigger than a single diagnosis or a single school. The two expanded their focus beyond Down syndrome, creating presentations that represented a wide range of disabilities, diagnoses, and lived experiences.
Soon, the requests became too frequent for classroom visits alone. Larkin and Jessica began offering full-school assemblies—fun, engaging, and deeply impactful sessions that helped entire student bodies understand inclusion, empathy, and disability with compassion. These assemblies took off, becoming a beloved and in-demand program across Sonoma County and beyond.
What started as one preschool presentation has grown into a thriving nonprofit serving the broader community. Today, Common Ground Society offers families support, resources and opportunities for connection ensuring that no matter what diagnosis they might be facing, every child and every family feel belonging. Common Ground’s team has expanded and continues to provide educational presentations and trainings to schools, businesses, and organizations across Sonoma County and beyond. The mission remains rooted in the same core belief that started it all: when people understand each other, community grows stronger.
