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 Kunle Adewale & Kiersten Gallagher

Memorial Art: Home Based Studio Experience

Memorial Art is a home-based studio experience where participants can improvise with materials and create a personal and meaningful experience.

Artwork by Kunle Adewale
Kunle experiments with different art medias in his depiction of a violin.

Memorial Art allows  participants to explore meaningful objects around them.

These objects may be relics, artifacts, photos of loved ones or places, and more.

Goal: To help artists reconnect to their happy place through the art making process

Materials/Objects:
  • Pencils, Crayons, Water-Colour, Acrylic Paints, Canvas, Paper, Cards, Paint Brushes, or whatever you have available.
  • Any other available materials you have at home.
  • Any meaningful objects you have at home. Examples include gifts from loves ones, family and friends, or objects that have spiritual and/or historical meaning.
  • Any picture. Examples include pictures of family members or any pictures that hold great meaning to you.
Art Forms:
  • Collage
  • Mixed Media
  • Painting
  • Assemblage

Wellness in the Time of COVID

The Washington Home

This 6-month integrative wellness series, sponsored by The Washington Home, will be offered to caregivers, those who are critically ill, and those facing cancer-related challenges during this especially difficult time.

Check out the full series program schedule HERE!


Outside the Lines is held Bi-Monthly on Wednesdays from 10:30am – 12:30pm. 

Upcoming sessions:

  • October 7 (Wellness in the Time of COVID Series – withArtwork from an Outside the Lines Participant Kunle Adewale)
  • October 14 (Social Hour)
  • October 28 (The Barquitos de Papel Collective Archive)
  • November 4 & 18
  • December 2 & 16

Suggested donation: $10 per class

Our programs are open to the community, and tailored to meet the needs of people affected by cancer. Classes and workshops are free or low cost on a pay-as-you-can basis, ensuring that our programs are accessible to everyone.


About Kunle Adewale

Kunle Adewale, is an artist and a development practitioner by profession. He is a graduate of Fine and Applied Arts (Painting and Art History), from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. To hone his skills in leadership, he studied Civic Leadership at Tulane University, New Orleans. His penchant for utilizing arts within the healthcare system spurred him into participating in related professional courses such as: Arts in Health for Helping Professionals in Charlotte; Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida, United States, and Arts in Health Research Intensive, organised by Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida in collaboration with University College London.

Kunle did not stop there. In his quest for more knowledge in the field of Arts in Medicine, he also bagged certificates in: Understanding Dementia and Arts, from University College London (UCL) and, Medicine and The Arts: Humanising Healthcare, from University of Capetown, South Africa. He was one of the selected Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Currently, he is part of a 1-year training programme on Dementia. To reduce the scale and impact of dementia, the 1-year programme brings together a powerful mix of perspectives, approaches, and skill sets from varying backgrounds and disciplines, including neurologists, social scientists, artists, and policymakers.

About Kiersten Gallagher

As the Cancer Support Program Director, Kiersten fully believes that through the arts we can expand our perspectives and explore new fulfilling ways of being. She invites you to make our space your own refuge, to circumvent your daily routine to spark creativity, to take time for introspection, and draw outside the lines.

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 Kara Elam & Tamika Felder

Lotus

The journey from the decision to start a family to holding your little one/s in your arms is not always straightforward and could take much longer than anticipated. This healing circle is meant to provide support, fellowship, and knowledge exchange while you are traversing this road to parenthood in whatever form it may take for you to create your desired family.


What is a Healing Circle?

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom. Healing Circles is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Fertility Journey Healing Circle will be hosted Monthly on Mondays from 6:30-7:30pm.
Upcoming Dates:
  • October 19
  • November 9
  • December 14

About Kara Elam

Kara Elam

Kara Elam, PhD, MPH, MS, As a scientist and avid adventurer I approached starting a family and conceiving our first as I did with everything else: research, data analysis, and meticulous planning. Unfortunately, this approach was not successful and the journey to our desired family became much longer than anticipated. I have embraced this unforeseen adventure in fertility for the lessons and knowledge it has brought into our life. I look forward to sharing this knowledge as well as creating a space for fellowship and support with all of you joining this healing circle. Love, trust, and baby dust.

About Tamika Felder

Tamika Felder

Passionate about empowerment, Tamika spreads her unique message of survival and resilience with people around the globe. An award-winning television producer, Tamika is recognized as a leading voice in the rapidly growing patient engagement field, having built award-winning patient ambassador programs and powerful awareness campaigns that united patients and industry. The author of “Seriously, What Are You Waiting For? 13 Actions to Ignite Your Life & Achieve The Ultimate Comeback,” Tamika empowers everyday people to bounce back by equipping them with tools to find perspective after tragedy and loss.

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 Kara Elam & Tamika Felder

Lotus

The journey from the decision to start a family to holding your little one/s in your arms is not always straightforward and could take much longer than anticipated. This healing circle is meant to provide support, fellowship, and knowledge exchange while you are traversing this road to parenthood in whatever form it may take for you to create your desired family.


What is a Healing Circle?

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom.  Healing Circles is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Fertility Journey Healing Circle will be hosted Monthly on Mondays from 6:30-7:30pm.
Upcoming Dates:
  • September 14
  • October 19

About Kara Elam

Kara Elam

Kara Elam, PhD, MPH, MS, As a scientist and avid adventurer I approached starting a family and conceiving our first as I did with everything else: research, data analysis, and meticulous planning. Unfortunately, this approach was not successful and the journey to our desired family became much longer than anticipated. I have embraced this unforeseen adventure in fertility for the lessons and knowledge it has brought into our life. I look forward to sharing this knowledge as well as creating a space for fellowship and support with all of you joining this healing circle. Love, trust, and baby dust.

About Tamika Felder

Tamika Felder

Passionate about empowerment, Tamika spreads her unique message of survival and resilience with people around the globe. An award-winning television producer, Tamika is recognized as a leading voice in the rapidly growing patient engagement field, having built award-winning patient ambassador programs and powerful awareness campaigns that united patients and industry. The author of “Seriously, What Are You Waiting For? 13 Actions to Ignite Your Life & Achieve The Ultimate Comeback,” Tamika empowers everyday people to bounce back by equipping them with tools to find perspective after tragedy and loss.

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 Kara Elam & Tamika Felder

Lotus

The journey from the decision to start a family to holding your little one/s in your arms is not always straightforward and could take much longer than anticipated. This healing circle is meant to provide support, fellowship, and knowledge exchange while you are traversing this road to parenthood in whatever form it may take for you to create your desired family.


What is a Healing Circle?

Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom.  Healing Circles is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.

Fertility Journey Healing Circle will be hosted Monthly on Mondays from 6:30-7:30pm.
Upcoming Dates:
  • August 10
  • September 14
  • October 19

About Kara Elam

Kara Elam

Kara Elam, PhD, MPH, MS, As a scientist and avid adventurer I approached starting a family and conceiving our first as I did with everything else: research, data analysis, and meticulous planning. Unfortunately, this approach was not successful and the journey to our desired family became much longer than anticipated. I have embraced this unforeseen adventure in fertility for the lessons and knowledge it has brought into our life. I look forward to sharing this knowledge as well as creating a space for fellowship and support with all of you joining this healing circle. Love, trust, and baby dust.

About Tamika Felder

Tamika Felder

Passionate about empowerment, Tamika spreads her unique message of survival and resilience with people around the globe. An award-winning television producer, Tamika is recognized as a leading voice in the rapidly growing patient engagement field, having built award-winning patient ambassador programs and powerful awareness campaigns that united patients and industry. The author of “Seriously, What Are You Waiting For? 13 Actions to Ignite Your Life & Achieve The Ultimate Comeback,” Tamika empowers everyday people to bounce back by equipping them with tools to find perspective after tragedy and loss.

Registration for this program is now full. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email kiersten@smithcenter.org.

with Brandel France de Bravo

Compassion Cultivation Training©, Thursday evenings (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) on Zoom from July 9 through August 27th. Would you like to start or deepen a meditation practice and also help support the Smith Center? One hundred percent of course fees will be donated to the Center. And for those experiencing financial difficulties, please don’t let course fees keep you away! Tuition reductions and waivers are available by emailing the instructor (see below).

Thanks to Covid-19 and its economic and emotional aftermath, we are facing challenges never experienced before, individually and as a society. By strengthening our natural capacity for compassion, empathy and kindness—for ourselves and others—we can become more resilient and better able to cope with the uncertainties of life during a pandemic.

Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) is an eight-week course developed over a decade ago by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers at Stanford University. Many who have taken the course say that it has given them a sense of balance and allowed them to live with greater joy and intention. When we become more aware, open, and curious about the world and the people around us, we can tap into the compassion inside of us to connect with others and be gentler on ourselves.  Practicing compassion can alleviate our worries and fears so we can become powerful forces for good — in our relationships, families, workplaces, and communities.

Classes will be held weekly on Thursdays via Zoom (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) from July 9 through August 27th. Each class builds upon the previous but if you have to miss a class one week, that’s okay. Each week includes:

  • In-class guided meditations and online recordings for use at home
  • Group discussions and in-class exercises relevant to each week’s theme
  • Optional readings, videos, and practices for outside the classroom to enhance learning and support a daily meditation and compassion practice

Cost of course: $325 before June 25th, and $375 after June 25thALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE SMITH CENTER FOR HEALING AND THE ARTS. To request that the course fee be reduced or waived due to financial hardship, kindly email Brandel France de Bravo and let her know what amount is comfortable for you to pay. Write to: bravofrance@gmail.com


About Brandel France de Bravo

Brandel France de Bravo holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University and is a graduate of Warren Wilson’s MFA Program for Writers. She has two decades of experience researching and designing health interventions in the U.S. and abroad. She has run an HIV prevention program in Africa, designed harm reduction strategies for intravenous drug users in Central Asia, and developed materials to help cancer patients in the U.S. make informed decisions about their treatment. She is co-author of a parenting book influenced by the RIE philosophy of infant-toddler care and is a published poet and essayist. She studied Compassion Cultivation Training with founding faculty while a fellow at Stanford University and is honored to be a certified teacher of CCT.

http://www.brandelfrancedebravo.com/

Registration for this program is now full. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email kiersten@smithcenter.org.

with Brandel France de Bravo

Compassion Cultivation Training©, Thursday evenings (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) on Zoom from July 9 through August 27th. Would you like to start or deepen a meditation practice and also help support the Smith Center? One hundred percent of course fees will be donated to the Center. And for those experiencing financial difficulties, please don’t let course fees keep you away! Tuition reductions and waivers are available by emailing the instructor (see below).

Thanks to Covid-19 and its economic and emotional aftermath, we are facing challenges never experienced before, individually and as a society. By strengthening our natural capacity for compassion, empathy and kindness—for ourselves and others—we can become more resilient and better able to cope with the uncertainties of life during a pandemic.

Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT©) is an eight-week course developed over a decade ago by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers at Stanford University. Many who have taken the course say that it has given them a sense of balance and allowed them to live with greater joy and intention. When we become more aware, open, and curious about the world and the people around us, we can tap into the compassion inside of us to connect with others and be gentler on ourselves.  Practicing compassion can alleviate our worries and fears so we can become powerful forces for good — in our relationships, families, workplaces, and communities.

Classes will be held weekly on Thursdays via Zoom (6:30 pm to 8:30 pm) from July 9 through August 27th. Each class builds upon the previous but if you have to miss a class one week, that’s okay. Each week includes:

  • In-class guided meditations and online recordings for use at home
  • Group discussions and in-class exercises relevant to each week’s theme
  • Optional readings, videos, and practices for outside the classroom to enhance learning and support a daily meditation and compassion practice

Cost of course: $325 before July 1st. Beginning July 1st, regular tuition of $375 applies. ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE SMITH CENTER FOR HEALING AND THE ARTS. To request that the course fee be reduced or waived due to financial hardship, kindly email Brandel France de Bravo and let her know what amount is comfortable for you to pay. Write to: bravofrance@gmail.com


About Brandel France de Bravo

Brandel France de Bravo holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University and is a graduate of Warren Wilson’s MFA Program for Writers. She has two decades of experience researching and designing health interventions in the U.S. and abroad. She has run an HIV prevention program in Africa, designed harm reduction strategies for intravenous drug users in Central Asia, and developed materials to help cancer patients in the U.S. make informed decisions about their treatment. She is co-author of a parenting book influenced by the RIE philosophy of infant-toddler care and is a published poet and essayist. She studied Compassion Cultivation Training with founding faculty while a fellow at Stanford University and is honored to be a certified teacher of CCT.

http://www.brandelfrancedebravo.com/

with Grace Anderson

Undergoing cancer treatment usually means taking a step back from plants and produce for the sake of our immune systems. As survivors, getting back in touch with nature can aid our healing process both mentally and physically. During this program, we’ll take “getting back in touch” literally, digging our hands into the soil to pot a new plant, tasting fresh produce from the Kitchen Garden, and making our own tea blend. Join us at the U.S. Botanic Garden as we explore the healing power of plants!

Suggested Donation: $15

 

About Grace Anderson

Grace Anderson is an Education Specialist at the U.S. Botanic Garden and a survivor of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Being able to work with plants and enjoy fresh produce after treatment was a vital part of her survivorship. She wanted to share that experience with other survivors and teamed up with the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts to start a program where survivors can celebrate heath through immersion in the world of plants.

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.