Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center
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Southern Maine Non-Profit Retreat at Ferry Beach
October 5-6, 2021

Visiting Ferry Beach During the COVID-19 Pandemic
State of Maine COVID Response
Ferry Beach COVID-19 Page
Be SMART about COVID-19!
Description

The Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation is pleased to sponsor a one night retreat for non-profit organizations in southern Maine.  If you are in leadership at non-profit located in York or Cumberland county, we hope you will join us to connect with other non-profits from across the region to network, learn, reflect and of course relax!

Arrive at Ferry Beach Retreat and Conference Center in Saco on the afternoon of October 5th and take a nice walk on the beach or just relax with your colleagues and make new connections.  We will hold an ingathering activity at 4:00 which everyone should attend.  At 5:00 we will enjoy a networking social hour followed by dinner.  We are offering attendees free lodging at Ferry Beach and encourage all who attend to stay the night and take part in evening activities.

On Wednesday, October 6th there will be a variety of activities and workshops to take part in.  In the morning we will be lead in a group discussion to reflect challenges over the last 18 months as non-profits in a global pandemic.  After lunch there will be a variety of creative and self wellness activities for all to take part in. 

Workshops
October 6, 9:00-12:00 - Exploring the Well of Courage & Resilience
Join us for a time for reflection and renewal—acknowledging the challenges compounded by the past 18 months of life during a global pandemic, among others. In a safe and connected environment, using an appreciative approach and guidelines from Parker Palmer’s Center for Courage & Renewal, participants can honor and explore courage, resilience and a reconnection to the habits and principles which sustain them. Participants will leave with tangible reminders of their reflection and connection created during the activities and a journal with additional options for reflection practice.

Susan White Ahl
As a facilitator, educator, and coach, Susan strives to offer individuals and organizations inspiration through reflection, action planning and learning support. Using an array of tools, practices, and experiences, she helps them to acquire necessary skills and perspective, to empower themselves toward desired outcomes.
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Sosan is a certified executive coach through the University of NH and hold a Master’s in Adult and Higher Education from the University of Southern Maine. Early in her career, she was trained in Person Centered Planning through the UNH Institute on Disability, and that method has deeply informed her professional philosophy. Training with the Institute for Appreciative Inquiry, and ongoing participation in Circles of Trust through the Center for Courage and Renewal support her desire to deepen her own learning and practice of deep listening, and creating space for reflection as essential to any personal or professional development.
October 6, 1:30-2:15 or 3:00-3:45 - Self Awareness through Drawing and Coloring Mandalas
A  mandala is a circular design with a central point that is thought to represent the wholeness of the person who creates it. In nature, we are attracted to mandalas. Flowers and seashells, for example, can beautify our lives and bring a sense of peace.

We often experience feelings of relaxation when coloring predesigned mandalas so popular in coloring books. However, the meditative aspects of creating and coloring our own mandalas has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, and promote feelings of well being through self discovery. This tends to have a more positive impact on both physical and mental health.

In this class we will explore the significance of mandalas as we create our own. We’ll discover their meditative properties as we relax, destress and learn about ourselves through the colors, symbols, and patterns we choose.

The creation of mandalas provides a window to ourselves that is not only revealing, but enjoyable. In this class, we will focus on the process of self-discovery through the meaningful communication between our inner and outer worlds. 

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Marguerite Genest, Ed.D. is an educational consultant and artist currently living in Kennebunk. Originally from Western Massachusetts, she holds a masters degree in Clinical Psychology and a doctorate in Educational Psychology. As a counselor and teacher of Social Emotional Learning and executive functioning skills, she focuses on how the development of  self awareness ultimately impacts social, academic and life success. She often uses art, including the meditative process of mandala drawing, to reduce anxiety, enhance self understanding and promote resilience. She exhibits her art in galleries and shows in New England, and paints commissioned portraits of children and pets. To learn more, see her website at margueritegenestart.com.
OCTOBER 6, 1:30-2:15 OR 3:00-3:45 - BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE YOGA
Join us in one or both of our 45 minute yoga sessions on the afternoon of October 6th. Yoga is an amazing way to feel strong, radiant, and alive in both your body and soul. This is non-judgmental yoga designed to meet you right where you are in your practice
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Denise Dauphine, Yoga-Alliance certified 500YRT with over 400 hours of additional training. 
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Denise sees yoga as a powerful tool that increases self-awareness and brings contentment and love to life. She aims to give students awareness to experience their mind, body, and soul, both on and off the mat, to encourage a focus on the breath as a way of being present. Denise believes connecting with the spiritual side of yoga through meditation is key to contentment and happiness and that every person is unique and should be seen, heard, and kept safe. 
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​The Yoga practice has the ability to help us learn to accept ourselves for who we are while continuing to grow. She believes that yoga is truly for everyone and everybody. Denise strives to teach the balance between hard work, discipline, and relaxation. We are all interconnected, so let us come together in this practice to understand ourselves and connect through the breath to our mind, bodies, spirit, and each other.​​
3:00-5:30pm 15-minute Massage Session (Must Sign-Up In Advance)
We will have a sign-up sheet for 15 minute massage sessions at the ingathering.  You must sign up for a session in advance.

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Natalie Brooks, LMT graduated from Maine's renowned Downeast School of Massage in the summer of 2019. Natalie has always felt a strong desire to help people in all aspects of life. A career in massage therapy was a perfect fit. Natalie is very attuned to how people are feeling. Being a massage therapist enables her to help people with their aches and pains. Her caring and skilled touch also allow her to support clients through their mental and emotional challenges. Natalie strives to create a comfortable and relaxing environment where clients feel free to be themselves. Natalie’s specialties are injury-specific deep tissue and Swedish massage. She combines both for a relaxing and deep massage. 
This is a free event for employees of non-profits in York or Cumberland County.

To Register

E-mail admin@vhsfoundation.org
and provide your name, title, organization, email, and phone number.  Space is limited to 50 participants. 
Register
Schedule At-A-Glance
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October 5

​2:00pm Arrive & Explore
4:00pm Ingathering Activity
5:00pm Networking Social Hour
6:00pm Dinner
​8:00pm Campfire with S'mores


October 6
7:30am Breakfast
9:00am Exploring the Well of Courage & Resilience
12:00pm Lunch
1:30pm Yoga or Mandalas
3:00pm Yoga or Mandalas
3:00-5:30pm 15-minute Massage Session (Must Sign-Up In Advance)
Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center is a 501(c)3 membership organization. 
Our mission is to awaken hearts to explore, grow and renew the spirit of universal love.  We accomplish our mission through work in the areas of
​arts & culture, education, spirituality, sustainability, personal growth and justice & action.
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Copyright © 2021 
Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center
5 Boardwalk Drive, Saco, ME 04072 - Our Address has Changed.  Click here to learn more.
​phone 207.282.4489  • fax 207.690.4800
​
info@ferrybeach.org
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  • Home
  • Organization
    • Governance
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff >
      • Work at Ferry Beach
  • Membership
  • Giving
    • One-Time Giving
    • Sustaining Gifts
    • The Beachkeeper Program
    • Quillen Shinn Society
    • Memorial Garden
    • Endowment Fund
    • Scholarship Program
    • Capital Campaigns >
      • GAYLA Theatre Renovation
      • ADA Campus
  • For Members
  • About
    • Our Mission & Values
    • History
    • Contact Us
    • Directions
    • Address Change
  • Schedule
    • Southern Maine Bears
    • Town Hall Meetings
    • Opening the Heart
    • Yoga for All
    • Quilting Retreat
    • Jin Shin Jyutsu
    • Writers Workshop
    • Profound Treasury
    • Work Week
    • Annual Meeting
    • Youth Camps
    • RE Week
    • Art And Yoga
    • Choral Fest
    • GAYLA
    • Motivational Interviewing
    • Family & Friends
    • Circles of Life
    • Women's Healing
    • Circle of Music
    • Company of Women
    • Sacred Circle Dance
    • Quilting by the Bay
    • The Beach Getaway
    • Labor Day Weekend
    • SOS Saco Bay Conference
    • Executive Director's Retreat
    • Auction
  • What to Expect
    • Our Facility
    • Our Retreats
    • Our Dining Center
  • Lodging
  • Register
  • News
    • Blog
    • Discovery
  • Plan an Event
    • Gathering Spaces
    • Planning Resources