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As I sit to write this brief hello, this is my hope: As the pandemic ebbs here in the US, we all hold onto this renewed sense of gratitude for the positive movements we have witnessed in hundreds of ways over the past year, and bring them forward with us.
I hope that we take forward the silver linings from this experience, including the appreciation for slowing down and the heightened recognition that nature restores and unites us.
One example within the Nature Sacred Network that springs immediately to mind: the use of Sacred Places as permanent homes for previously indoor after-school activities.
Nature Sacred has rounded our first year as an Operating Foundation, and though half of the year still remains, our 2021 Community Healing pipeline is full and our recently announced Nature for Wellness initiativeis inspiring more and more healthcare institutions to invest in the wellbeing of their nurses, physicians and staff. Sacred Places of all kinds are popping up from Topeka, Kansas to Lincoln, Nebraska, to Memphis, Tennessee and more.
At the same time, we continue to expand our work within our Baltimore node. BLISS Meadows continues to attract attention — most recently via an article in the Baltimore Fishbowl. And just days ago in Memphis, the groundbreaking was held for the new Hospitality HUB Development that will include three Sacred Places to start.
The hum of activity around our growing Network is pretty incredible. And in many instances, nothing short of profound (we have quite a story to share from Anniston, Alabama). As we work to help bring nature to more people, we are also working hard to balance this growth with the equally important work of nurturing and supporting the crucial community work that is happening within existing Sacred Places — while championing the Firesouls who are, in many ways, the center of it all.
Alden E. Stoner, CEO, Nature Sacred
"Tell it from your heart"
Capturing Black history in a Sacred Place
In Anniston, Alabama, Firesoul Steven Folks is leading a new project to capture, record and share untold stories of Black history — American history — from the people who lived it. These stories were recently collected at a live story-telling event at West Anniston Gateway, a Sacred Place positioned at the entrance to 15th Street in Anniston, an area referred to as a “City within a City”. It was here, beginning in the 1950s, Black Annistonians would go for a haircut, a bite to eat, to shop — “to feel comfortable.” The opportunity to capture these stories narrows with each passing day, which is why Mr. Folks is driven by a sense of urgency.
Now, thanks to a newly-released video, you can see and hear the stories as they recently were shared first-hand at West Anniston Gateway.
Science in seconds
We’re often asked if research demonstrating nature’s power to help us heal exists. Our answer is — yes. Science unequivocally linking the health benefits of nature is voluminous. As in, it could fill a library. And Nature Sacred has been fortunate enough to work with many researchers at the very forefront of it all.
The problem: it’s often hard to bridge the gap between academia and the rest of society.
Our solution: a new video series offering bite-sized summaries of salient studies.
To kick it all off, we have two bit-sized video vignettes to share: both feature Roger Ulrich, a pioneer of evidence-based healthcare design research, talking about a study on nature’s impact on stress and burnout among nurses.
As spring rolls into summer, and pandemic restrictions are lifted, the Nature Sacred Firesoul Network continues to grow and thrive. Intensifying the usual hum of activity that happens in Sacred Places is a palpable sense of hope and anticipation. In our quarterly roundup of Network happenings, we’ve tried to capture a bit of this magic to share with you. You’ll read of nature-based mindfulness, family zumba programs, music, self-care strategizing, and more. After perusing, you're sure to be inspired to take a moment to find your nature, get centered, get moving — to embrace summer.
Firesoul and retired elementary school teacher Connie Fuller is deeply connected to her Sacred Place in Fort Payne, Alabama — an area that sees more than its fair share of violent weather, including tornadoes. Life’s Journey Reflection and Meditation Garden, which features three circular paths representing birth, life’s journey and rebirth as well as a fountain and a Little Free Library that is always bursting with new community contributions, is a healing place where the community often finds comfort after a storm.
Watch and listen as Firesoul Connie Fuller, along with several fellow collaborators, describes Life's Journey Reflection and Meditation Garden.
You really stepped up
Thank you. To all who contributed to last month’s fundraising campaign celebrating and honoring nurses, thank you for making our National Nurses Week fundraiser a success. You are helping to give a big nature hug through a Sacred Place to all our healthcare heroes who so richly deserve it. Each dollar you generously donated supports the creation of more Sacred Places — the ultimate break room — on the campuses of hospitals and healthcare centers throughout the country.
We exceeded our fundraising goals thanks in part to the support of our two anchor sponsors: Greenspring Associates and Gustus Vitae. Thank you again to all who contributed.
Our Nurses Week campaign supports our Nature for Wellness Initiative, which aims to bring nature’s healing to physicians, nurses, staff, patients and their families. Learn more about the Nature for Wellness initiative.
