Announcing the 12th Annual Stronger Together Weekend Retreat!
Will you consider sponsoring the weekend retreat?
Bellis is thrilled to announce the 12th annual Stronger Together Weekend Retreat over the 3rd weekend in September at a lakeside cabin in Minnesota.
At the weekend retreat, mothers whose children are parented by others will come together from all over Minnesota and across the country to offer each other support, compassion, and understanding. This is a unique and complex grief, described as an ambiguous loss, for which there is no closure or ritual to help in the healing process.
The theme "I have been a thousand different women" is based on the poem of the same name by Emory Hall.
Lovingly aided by three licensed facilitators and two support staff, the weekend retreat gives women the extended opportunity to go deeper within themselves to develop skills and resilience which are not easy to come by in daily life, grow in community, and heal with one another. Set amongst the serene setting of a lakeside resort, women get the chance to walk in nature, commiserate around the bonfire, and share in delicious homecooked meals, a true reflection of Bellis' commitment to radical hospitality. Discussions and activities are aimed at introspection, meaningful processing, and application of thought.
Bellis cannot host the retreat without the support of our caring community.
The Weekend Retreat is offered at no cost to the women who participate, enabling them to attend without financial worry, and instead tend to themselves and each other. Your donation goes towards lodging, homecooked meals, a welcome gift bag (including the traditional embroidered Stronger Together blanket along with a journal and self-care items), supplies for creative projects, and other overhead costs.
“I always walk away from a Bellis retreat with a renewed spirit and lightness to my soul.” - Bellis participant
To help us purchase supplies, please see our Amazon wish list. To make a direct donation, please visit our Give Lively site or mail a physical check to our new mailing address. We moved! See our new mailing address below.
If you know a mother whose child is or has been parented by others, no matter the circumstances, please consider sharing this opportunity with her by directing her to our website, email info@mybellis.org, or call/text 833-4BELLIS for more information.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
Kelly Tronstad, M.Ed., Licensed Family & Parent Educator
Executive Director
NEW MAILING ADDRESS:
Bellis
2038 Ford Parkway, PMB 457
Saint Paul, MN 55116
