Neighbor News
Goodwill Manasota hosts Spring Awakening Celebration
Event to raise awareness, funds for Warriors at Ease Program, a yoga program especially designed for veterans
SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – Goodwill Manasota and the Garden of the Heart Yoga Center invite community members to attend the Spring Awakening Celebration, a celebration of and fundraiser for the Warriors with Ease Program, which provides free yoga classes for veterans, as well as yoga programs for children with special needs and individuals with Parkinson’s disease. The event will feature a panel discussion from 4:00-5:00pm on the benefits of yoga for these special populations, and then a celebration featuring food from area restaurants, craft beer and wine, and music.
Takes place on Tuesday, April 21, from 4:00-6:30pm at the Goodwill Manasota Corporate Campus (2705 51st Ave. E., Bradenton). Tickets are $25; all proceeds – including matching funds offered by a generous Goodwill donor – will benefit the Warriors at Ease Program.
The partnership between Goodwill and Garden of the Heart Yoga Center began in February of 2014, with free weekly yoga classes being offered for veterans. Yoga classes have also been provided for individuals with Parkinson’s disease at the Goodwill retail center in North Port, and students with special needs at Ave Maria Preparatory School. The partnership makes available these classes for populations served by Goodwill Manasota and enables Garden of the Heart Yoga Center to accept donations for the Karma Yoga Outreach Program – through which Warriors at Ease is offered – through Goodwill’s 501(c)(3).
“I created the Karma Yoga Outreach Program at Garden of the Heart out of my desire to give back to my community and also to harness the powerful positive techniques of yoga in order to make the world a better place,” said Harriet Roberts, yoga instructor and coordinator of the Karma Yoga Outreach Program. “I felt strongly that when I became a yoga teacher I wanted to bring yoga to under-served communities – populations that could really benefit from the healing and enriching experience of yoga but who would otherwise have no access or exposure to it.”
“We have been thrilled at the partnership with Garden of the Heart Yoga Center,” said Bob Rosinsky, president & CEO of Goodwill Manasota. “We have heard extremely positive results from Ave Maria Preparatory School, where children with special needs have enjoyedweekly yoga classes since November. It’s also been wonderful to learn that, through the healing powers of yoga, some veterans have even been able to go back to work for the first time since returning from active duty.”
Event sponsor is Bouchard Insurance. Guests can register online at www.ExperienceGoodwill.org, call (941) 355-2721, ext. 104, or email GoodwillRSVP@gimi.org.
PHOTO ID: Cheryl Chaffee, Garden of the Heart Yoga Center director, leads a ‘Yoga for Veterans’ class
About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and philanthropic donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities and other barriers to employment by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. In 2014, Goodwill Manasota served more than 16,000 people, placed 680 people in jobs and assisted 520 veterans as they reintegrated back into the civilian workforce. Goodwill Manasota’s economic impact back to the community is worth $81.3 million. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce-reuse-recycle movement and this past year diverted 39 million pounds out of the landfill. We accomplish our mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and our Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota is accountable to a local Board of Directors. Goodwill Manasota in essence belongs to this community, and is not owned by any individual or company. For more information, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org.
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