Wellness Retreats bring over 400 people to Bath

Going away for a weekend is not a big deal for most families in the summer. But if your child is in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy, or can't make eye contact because of autism or constantly runs because of an attention deficit - a weekend away is a BIG DEAL! The Wellness G.I.F.T.S. program hosted 65 families this summer at Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort in Bath, NY. Now in its sixth year, this program is a haven for families who have children with special needs.

The 2006 summer retreats are now memories of smiles, reunions, making new friends, eating some-mores, learning new information, racing rockets, seeing Saturn, drumming and much, much more. The participants explored "Stars, Space and the Planets" with the Astronomy theme and welcomed Darth Vader from Star Wars!

As one of the families expressed in a GIFT Gram, "They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. It seems to us that Wellness G.I.F.T.S. is in the business of making lasting impressions! We cannot thank you enough for the wonderful time we've had and the memories we leave with."

A huge thank you to our 100 plus Assistants who came as far as Wisconsin and as close as Bath, NY. to join in our Wellness G.I.F.T.S. retreats. Our college students came from Keuka College, Ithaca College, C o r n i n g Community College, SUNY Geneseo, Alfred University, University of Rochester and Houghton College. Americorps volunteers joined us from the Rochester and Bath programs.

The family group is growing with attendees coming this summer from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Thank you to our Wellness G.I.F.T.S. Board members who volunteered their time to Co-Chair and organize the retreats: June - Jacquie Earl and Janet Opila-Lehman,

July - Shirley Herrick and Kim Corpus, August - Donna Twardowski and Jean Wannall. Also thanks to other Board members, Greg Longwell, Stephanie Craig, Debbie Campbell, Randy Lehman who provided tremendous help behind the scenes. Special thanks to Karen Pragle who kept track of all the paperwork.

To learn more about the Wellness G.I.F.T.S 2007.retreats, presentation opportunities or to volunteer, check out the website: www.GiftsRetreats.com or call 607-776-3737.