Rustic Riders

In spring 2012 Healing Connections will offer the nation’s first arts and healing retreat for female spouses and partners of military servicemembers, led by Karen Glass and Jordanna Mallach. Lisa will be providing music workshops and mental health support.

The Arts and Healing Retreat for Military Spouses is open to any woman whose spouse or partner is currently serving our country in the New York State National Guard. The retreat will focus on the unique issues arising out of being a spouse or a partner of person who is serving or has served in the Gulf Wars. This is an opportunity to learn from others who have experienced being separated from loved ones, the stress and challenges of long separations, and trying to come back together as a family.

Military service places demands on the spouse and the family unit. The goals of the retreats are to enrich a sense of self, build a sense of community, provide tools for strengthening bonds pre-, during and post- deployment, and to establish a network of future support.

Participants will have an opportunity to reconnect with a deeper sense of self by using the arts, nature, ritual and the common experience of women who are married to or have a significant relationship with a soldier. Our Retreat will be lead by storyteller Karen Glass, mother of a soldier serving in Afghanistan, and Jordanna Mallach, a member of the Vermont National Guard who has served in Afghanistan. Workshops will be led by women skilled in using movement, music, journaling, and art to reduce stress, tell their story, foster communication and enhance sense of well-being.

The retreat is being organized in partnership with Homeward Bound Adirondacks, and will be held at Ampersand Bay, a resort beautifully decorated in the Adirondack rustic motif located on the shores of Lower Saranac Lake, NY. Full scholarship support is available for members of the New York State National Guard, other women whose spouses or partners are serving in other branches of the military may apply on a fee basis.