This event has been postponed. Please check back for a new scheduled date.
with Chef Laura Pole
Are you or your loved one living with esophageal cancer and the eating challenges that come with it? Are you confused by all the dietary advice? If so, come join chef and oncology nurse, Laura Pole, and learn how to translate your diet prescription into tasty healthy food that you can actually enjoy eating. In addition to preparing and eating delicious food together, Chef Laura guarantees we’ll have fun!
About Laura Pole
Laura Pole, RN, MSN, comes with a diverse educational background including a Masters degree in nursing, chef certification, and professional music training. For over 20 years, she has been merging her careers as a health supportive chef, professional musician, oncology clinical nurse specialist, and a palliative care educator. Laura serves Smith Center in several ways: Director of Nourishment Education Programs, Director of Professional Trainings in Culinary Translation and Co-Creator/Coordinator of Patient Navigation Trainings. Laura is also on faculty for the nationally acclaimed Cancer-Fighting Kitchen workshops.
with Evolyn Brooks
Make a luxury intention candle, personalize your creations with crystals, flowers and glitter at this beautifully tablescaped setting. After the event, this special candle designed by you, will serve as a gentle reminder of the promise you made to call forth love, luck and grace in all aspects of your life!
In this 90 minute workshop you will learn:
- The difference between a goal and an intention.
- How to set new life goals and intentions that support your aspirations.
- How to create an intention candle that adds positive energy to your life and home, supports your goals and serves as a reminder to pursue what’s best for you in life.
- How to practice kindness and compassion for yourself as you pursue your dreams.
- How to release emotional blocks and thought patterns that no longer serve you.
- How to create a daily mantra that connects you with the highest version of yourself.
- How to center yourself with breath work, healing touch and the five reiki precepts.
Suggested Donation: $25
About Evolyn Brooks
In My Solitude LA began with the heartfelt desire of Founder and TV Producer, Evolyn Brooks to create a luxury, handcrafted candle, wellness goods and lifestyle line to help women relax and practice self-care.
As a breast cancer survivor and thriver, Evolyn shares through her book, “Her Name Is Cranberry,” a message of how to overcome obstacles and create the life of your dreams. She brings her ideas to life through intention based “self-discovery through DIY” candle making experiences around the world.
She created and used the Journey Candle Collection, a project she began to support her healing process while undergoing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. “The Journey Candle Collection can be used to overcome any subconscious mental or spiritual blocks that diminish your power to focus on an area of your life that needs to be healed,” says Evolyn. By clarifying the intention and outcome you want in your life, it’s easier to claim your desire and create it with power and confidence.”
In My Solitude LA is a female owned, Los Angeles based company that is dedicated to creating mindful products and experiences. https://www.inmysolitudela.com/
with Donna Smith, JD
Compassion & Choices will host a week of events to highlight the passing of the Death with Dignity Act
DC Week of Compassion
Tuesday, February 18th – Smith Center Presentation and Discussion
Donna Smith, JD, will present her passionate work with Compassion and Choices DC to Smith Center participants. Donna’s talk will focus on options for end-of-life journey options. Food and drink will be provided and all are welcome!
Other Off-Site DC Week of Compassion Events:
Thursday, February 20th – Busboys and Poets forum
Sunday, February 23rd – Compassion Sunday- We are asking faith leaders to take a moment and honor all those who have passed within their congregation.
Compassion & Choices improves care, expands options and empowers everyone to chart their end-of-life journey. We envision a society that affirms life and accepts the inevitability of death, embraces expanded options for compassionate dying, and empowers everyone to choose end-of-life care that reflects their values, priorities, and beliefs. Their programs include: End-of-life Planning, Community Outreach, Legal and Political Advocacy, and Access Campaigns
About Donna Smith, JD
Donna Smith is an accomplished professional with over twenty years of experience in political consulting, legislative advocacy, public affairs, policy and program management.
Donna was the Chief of Policy and Community Programs for eight years at the Maryland Department of Aging. She led a team of program managers that implemented aging statewide programs for the aging and their caregivers. She was also detailed to work on the White House Conference on Aging in as a public relations specialist.
In 2014 she was a political consultant to the Donna Edwards Senatorial campaign where she focused on organizing women and seniors.
Donna has been employed by Compassion and Choices (C&C) for 4 years. She is the National African American Director and the Director of Political advocacy for DC and Maryland. In this capacity she led the campaign to pass end of Death with Dignity legislation in both the District of Columbia (the legislation passed in Feb. 2017) and Maryland, where she organized and engaged over 17,000 volunteers to help pass legislation and acted as a spokesperson on behalf of C&C.
A graduate of Tuskegee University and George Washington Law School, she has one son and resides in Laurel, Md.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org
with Chef Cathryn Pethick
Nourishing Ourselves in Harmony with Summer, the Season of Pitta: An Aryuveda-inspired Cooking Class with Chef Cathryn Pethick
The fundamental principle of Ayurveda is that our habits, lifestyle routines and dietary choices should ebb and flow with the seasons, in harmony with the cycles of Nature. Our bright, hot and humid summer climate is the time to stay cool and hydrated with appropriate food and preparation choices, and support our energy in being relaxed and grounded. The tastes Ayurveda recommends for summer are those foods that are naturally sweet, bitter and astringent, using fresh, local produce, and just lightly seasoning to allow their wonderful natural flavors to shine through.
Join us in creating a summer menu that features all the farmers’ markets best offerings at the height of the season! We will talk about Ayurveda, provide a dosha quiz for you, and demo some beautiful food and cooking technique for you to put to good use at home!
Suggested Donation: $25
About Cathryn Pethick
Cathryn Pethick, AYS, teaches yoga and Ayurveda in the Washington, DC metro area, and is a long-time professional chef. She is an Ayurveda Yoga Specialist through the Himalayan Institute, teaching the self-care basics of the traditional Indian science of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic cooking to groups and private clients. Since 1997, she has taught both traditional and gentle hatha yoga classes for adults and children, therapeutic classes for seniors and special-needs students, and restorative yoga. It is her deepest desire to offer tools that bring balance and well-being into the lives of those she touches.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, you must register here or by emailing carla@smithcenter.org
with Julie McCarter
In this creative workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to learn and practice mindfulness through the art of image making. In a series of photographic assignments, we’ll focus on our internal experience of the present moment, alongside the visual components of photography.
This workshop will give you the tools to develop your own “practice” of mindful image-making that will be both nourishing and life-balancing. you will also have the experience of creating images that reflect your unique vision/voice that is often deeply meaningful.
Join us to discover new ways of being, seeing and expressing with mindfulness and your camera.
Please select one meaningful object for the workshop. Any camera, including a cell phone, is perfect for this workshop.
Suggested Donation: $20
About Julie McCarter
Julie is a fine art photographer and therapist, offering workshops that blend her two worlds of creative expression and emotional wellness. She is based in the Greater Washington DC area. Her photographic work may be viewed at: http://juliefischermccarter.com
Contact email: jfm@juliefischermccarter.com
