In our first October Newsletter, we briefly mentioned #GivingTuesday. Hopefully you found a bit of time to visit the website, www.sitesandinsights.org ! Do you remember the Good Times Hamburger commercial where the guy ends with ‘we’re gonna be big’? Well, #GivingTuesday is going to be bigger than big . . . it is going to be huge, gargantuan, perhaps even epic. How do we know? #GivingTuesday is a global giving movement built and sustained from year to year by individuals, families, organizations, businesses, and communities across the United States as well as many countries around the world. It is a global event. Did you know that November 28th is the official opening day of the giving season? Perhaps something to think about in contrast to (not in conflict with) Black Friday and Cyber Monday! On #GivingTuesday, we all have an opportunity to give back (a.k.a.‘pay-it-forward’).
Sites and Insights, Inc.’s curriculum has proven to be transformational. We use therapeutic art for self-discovery and self-expression, guiding the participants during this emotional roller coaster ride, teaching a tool to help cope with feelings during and after treatment. It’s not unusual to observe a personal awakening, sense of hope, or unfamiliar smile rise to the surface in a student participating in one of our mindful healing art workshops. We often see individuals connect with the innermost feelings of their cancer journey, then experience a new sense of understanding and peace. It seems nothing short of a miracle and, by the way, we do believe in miracles. We need all the help we can get. With that in mind, please understand that ongoing financial contributions from folks like you are essential for us to continue our work. At this point you might ask how we know that we are providing valuable, worthwhile help to cancer patients and caregivers? Please take a minute or two to reflect on the thoughts and feelings shared by a few of our students:
“When I took the Healing Art Workshop I was in the middle of chemotherapy and dealing with the loss of my husband four months prior. After taking the class, I felt I could move forward in my life with more focus, balance, positive energy and actual joy. The facilitators had a way of helping me to look inside of myself to feelings that needed to be recognized and released. This happened through art. It saved me.”
“I learned how to express my feelings with color and art and it was astonishing.”
“The art illuminates the unspoken and the unseen.”
“I now feel more hopeful and more serene and more accepting of my own (sometimes hidden) emotions.”
“I enjoyed the freedom from just dealing with cancer and being able to express myself through color.”
“The workshop changed my life.”
Valuable? Yes. Worthwhile? Most definitely!
Now you have the opportunity to help cancer patients/survivors and caregivers with their emotional journey during and after their treatment.