Blog to Blog

Naj and Fran joined Susan Piontek on The Global Voice to talk about the Creative Healing Connection retreats.. check it out!

Listen to internet radio with Susan Piontek on Blog Talk Radio

News about our 2nd Annual Adirondack Women Veterans’ Arts & Reintegration

We held our 2nd Annual Adirondack Women Veteran's Arts & Reintegration Retreat on August 9th -11th. You can read all about it in Chris Knight's article that appeared in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise (August 21, 2010).

The event, which was co-sponsored by Patriot Hills of New York, was held on the shores of Lake George at the Wiawaka Holiday House.

The location was perfect! It provided a safe place for these women to make connections, tell their stories, and discover a community of listeners who could relate to their challenges, opportunities, and triumphs they have faced along their journey.

Thanks to all who participated and to everyone who made this event possible!

Busy Summer for CHC

The summer is turning into a busy time of year for us at CHC. While we remain committed to our annual Adirondack Healing Retreats for women living with cancer and other chronic diseases, last year we began to reach out to our veteran community. Last summer we used the skills and experiences gained working with women living with cancer to develop a retreat for women veterans. This summer we have partnered with the St. Josephs Rehabilitation Center, the Adirondack Medical Center, Paul Smith’s College, Adirondack Economic Development Corporation, the Trudeau Institute and other organizations and community activists in the creation of Patriot Hills at Saranac Lake.

You can read all about our first Soldier’s Resiliency Retreat held at Paul Smith’s College under the auspices of Patriot Hills at Saranac Lake, which was held on July 6 – 8, 2010.

In the meantime we are also gearing up for our 2nd annual Adirondack Women Veterans’Arts & Reintegration Retreat to be held Monday, August 9th - Wednesday, August 11th, 2010. Check out our recent coverage in the Press Republican.

Our hardworking crew

And here is a picture of us at the end of our November Strategic Planning meeting...having made a huge big step towards the future of Creative Healing Connections!
Back row...Peggy Lynn, Rose Ann Hickey, Wanda Burch, Randy Lewis
Front row...Karen Glass, Gail Sheffield, Fran Yardley, Leslie Neustadt

Looking to the future!

On November 14th, we held our annual CHC Board retreat. It was a day filled with introspection, connection and many creative ideas flying under the capable direction of Gail Sheffield. The outcome was the first stage of the creation of our Strategic Five Year Plan. We took a good look at who we are and what we are about. We came away with a renewed commitment to our mission of providing creative experiences to promote healing and growth and we began making a detailed map for our future. We plan to have a follow up meeting in February to delineate and finalize our goals. Working with this board of exceptional people who are committed to CHC is a joy.
May you all find peace and joy in this holiday season!

News of our fall Arts & Healing Retreats…

Our 11th Annual Arts & Healing Retreat from September 18-20 at Great Camp Sagamore was a huge success! We told stories, sang songs, played with dreams, journaled, created fantastical art works and stretched in yoga. Many said it was the best retreat so far.
In October, we held a second retreat at the Irondequoit Inn on Piseco Lake. We had new staff members who were graduates of our Spring Training Retreat and they did an amazing job. The words of one of our participants say it best: “What a truly relaxing, healing retreat. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful, beautiful, strong, brave women. It's great to know that I’m not alone and that my thoughts and feelings are normal…the painting, making beads out of clay, playing out little skits and dressing up in funny clothing…the laughter alone was grand. Everyone comes with their own baggage and each one leaves stronger, happy, and I believe with a lighter shoulder and heart.”

Scholarships still available for both retreats!

We still have scholarships available for the October 23-25 retreat at the Irondequoit Inn on Piseco Lake as well as a couple for the September 18-20 retreat to be held at Great Camp Sagamore. This time away is a rare gift for yourself and it will cost you nothing. Go to the Retreats page for more details or contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions you have.
We hope to see you there!