A few years ago I lost my sister unexpectedly to a brain aneurysm. After losing her I was looking for a grief retreat to attend because I just really needed to immerse myself in a healing journey. As I searched the internet it became clear that the only options were thousands of miles away and cost thousands of dollars to attend. So I decided to take all of that money it would cost to attend one, and host my own. I found a venue and therapists and providers and made the event free to attend.

I have my own business, and during the time of losing my sister it was clear just how expensive grief is. Between therapy and missing work and funeral costs, and everything else, all I wanted was a space to feel supported without costing thousands of dollars during and already difficult time. Since it wasn’t there for me, I wanted to make sure to make it available to anyone who needs it moving forward. So far, the retreat has hosted a total of 54 people!

For the first two years of the retreat I funded it all on my own, but as the retreat grows so do the expenses. Last year I was able to get registered as an official nonprofit organization so now I am ready to begin fundraising! On July 10th I will be hosting a fundraiser at Jerry’s bar. At this fundraiser I would like to have a raffle so I am able to sell some tickets to raise money for the retreat. So I am hoping to find a few donated items to be be used as raffle prizes.