What more can I say than Smoothie Mania was a blast this year at 24 Hours of Booty thanks to Cheryl LeCroy and her team of Wind River alumni as helpers!!!  Way to Go Michelle, Laura, Reba, David, Suzanne, Michelle, Dorothy, Kathy and Jim!!!

24 Hours of Booty is an annual cycling event with over 1200 riders who raise money for the cancer community, including Wind River, and then bike a 3 mile loop for 24 hours!  Some do it in teams, others solo.  It is an amazing event that we are honored to continue to be a part of!

By Cheryl LeCroy, Creativejuicesconsulting.com in partnership with Wind River Cancer Wellness Retreats & Programs

Last night "Food for Healing" featured unusual and exotic veggies because the more veggies we eat, the more protective phytochemicals we take in.  Let's face it, eating green beans, broccoli and corn can get old and there are SO many wonderful, tasty and weird veggies to try.  As I was shopping for Jicama to take to class, I mistakenly picked up rutabaga and almost put it back because I didn't know what to do with it. Since I had planned to issue a weird veggie challenge for everyone to step out of their comfort zone and try something unusual,  I decided to follow my own challenge; I would take rutabaga to class so we could all sample it.   I searched my cookbooks and googled several recipes to become acquainted with this softball sized, jicama-looking thing and discovered a lot of combinations that paired rutabaga with potato or smothered it in butter or covered it with gravy.  I didn't want to disguise the flavor so instead, I simply boiled it, smashed it with a tablespoon of organic butter and seasoned with salt and pepper....and WOW!!! Everyone LOVED it!    
During class, we also learned how to design "The Healthy Plate" and had a cooking demonstration on roasting red peppers and preparing fresh basil pesto.  To complete our class, we enjoyed a colorful dinner of Pesto & Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Panzanella and a Strawberry smoothie.  Pure Healthy YUM!

 “Food for Healing” is a FREE workshop designed to teach cancer survivors, caregivers, health care providers and anyone interested in better nutrition about a rainbow of colorful healing foods.  "Food For Healing" is sponsored by Wind River Cancer Services to promote whole body well being.  We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at The Kitchen Emporium in Anderson from 5 - 7 pm and the third Tuesday of the month at Earth Fare in Greenville from 5 – 6:45 pm.

I'm going to be on the lookout for weird veggies this month and beyond
~Want to join me?

By HEATHER SACKETT, on the 24 Hours of Booty blog | Published: JULY 7, 2014
Allison Peeler Schwartz, 2014 retreat participant, graciously shared her experience with Wind River, a partner of 24 Hours of Booty who helps relieve emotional stress and improve the quality of life of cancer survivors through wellness retreats.
____________________________________

There is beauty in just going.

Cancer changed everything. It made me stronger. It made me less afraid of so many things; so when I found Wind River on the internet and connected with Shannon late last year – a beautiful relationship began.

I applied for the April 2014 retreat and by the grace of God things worked out and I flew to North Carolina from Texas for the most profound weekend of my life. Cancer has a way of doing that – changing you in ways you’d never expect. Cancer introduces you to the MOST amazing people ever. Period.  The week before I left Dallas so many people asked: “Where are you going?” “Who will be there?” What will you do?” My answer to all questions: “I don’t know.”  I went with my gut on this one, trusted completely and WOW.

Weeks later and I’m still processing my weekend. What I know for sure is I fell in love with 15 people, two cats and an amazing “cabin” in the woods. Some are survivors and some are healers. They are all real, beautiful and full of life. They changed my life for the better. They surrounded me with love and respect and helped keep me whole. We laughed. We cried. We laughed some more. We had new experiences. We shared our most personal stuff – the kind of stuff that needs complete trust and love in order to share. These folks are real. These folks have experienced pain. These folks are dealing with cancer with the utmost grace and humility. These folks truly realize the beauty in everything life offers. These folks are butterflies and fairies that bring peace and love to everyone. These folks I’m talking about? My Wind River peeps. My posse. My “deuces”. My loves.

Wind River is a place to heal. It’s a place to grow. It’s a place to laugh. It’s a place to cry. It’s a place to learn new things. It’s more than a place, really. Wind River is a state of being. Wind River scoops you up and allows you to float freely while receiving love and peace.

A simple email asking to be added to the Wind River mailing list blossomed into a relationship with Shannon, Dave and the Wind River community. What does the Wind River community mean to me? It means love, understanding, peace, freedom and hope.  My life is taking a different path. I’m changed forever. I took a leap of faith. I trusted. I went.

There is beauty in just going.



Reprinted with permission:  http://blog.24hoursofbooty.org/2014/07/there-is-beauty-in-just-going-a-wind-river-wellness-retreat-memoir-by-allison-schwartz/

NC YAC Fun Day!  Saturday, July 12th : Time 10am – till

Been feeling like an indoor kid since the big C? Time to change that! Come join us at the Charlotte Whitewater Center, a 500 acre playground with more than 24 smile till it hurts activities! Come for the fun and stay for a great day of community, peer support, hope, and just plain awesome!  Tickets for this event are available on a sliding scale basis and need to be purchased through Cancer Services at this link:

bitly.com/yacwhitewater.

For questions about the event email or call: Carla Strom at cstrom@wakehealth.edu or 336-713-1437. Since this is an active travel event, teens need to be accompanied by a friend or family member 18 or older. Please consult with your medical care team before participating in physical activity such as this event.