The Institute for Spirituality and Health to Host FREE Restorative Retreat For Veterans, Veteran Caregivers, and Veteran Service Officers On Saturday, Dec. 7

MEDIA ALERT

WHO: 
The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center (Institute) to host the quarterly Heroic Self-Care: Impact Your Life event on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. This FREE, day-long restorative retreat for veterans, veteran caregivers, and veteran service officers (VSOs) will teach valuable skills to assist with stress reduction and provide an opportunity for connection. This event will be held in person at the Fort Bend County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management located at 307 Fort Street in Richmond, Texas.

This quarterly one-day retreat is facilitated by the Institute’s Greater Houston Healing Collaborative (GHHC), the anchor program of its Center for Body, Spirit, and Mind, in partnership with Impact a Hero and the Fort Bend County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

GHHC Director Aproteem Choudhury leads this program and is available for media interviews and questions. Please contact Pennino and Partners (details above) to arrange an interview.

 

WHAT:
Heroic Self-Care: Impact Your Life – A Restorative Retreat for Veterans and VSOs

This FREE in-person event encourages all veterans, veteran caregivers, and VSOs to gather and learn practices to help manage stress and build resilience. Participants will learn accessible skills to enhance their well-being while enjoying the opportunity to connect with veteran peers in a safe and welcoming environment. The evidence-based skills have been implemented for communities worldwide to help them heal from the impacts of war, natural disasters, or other community-wide trauma. The Institute is seeing a very positive impact among past and repeat participants.

Through these shared experiences, participants can connect, learn new tools for managing triggers, and support each other in a restorative setting. By the end of the retreat, participants will have practical techniques to support their well-being and offer renewed strength to their relationships and communities. 

WHEN:
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT

WHERE:
Fort Bend County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
307 Fort Street, Richmond, Texas 77469

HOW:
To register and learn more, please visit https://www.spiritualityandhealth.org/events/heroic12724.

About the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative
The Greater Houston Healing Collaborative is the Institute’s anchor program for the Center for Body, Spirit, and Mind. GHHC was created from the felt need in our community for mental health support that emerged following Hurricane Harvey. Since then, the GHHC has been a beacon of hope and healing during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing support groups for medical professionals and other first responders and again recently after Hurricane Beryl. These skills have touched the lives of more than 30,000 individuals across the greater Houston area.

GHHC programs and initiatives teach participants about the interconnectedness of body, spirit, and mind. GHHC provides tools to reduce chronic stress and address symptoms of the trauma response by sharing self-regulation techniques to enhance individual and community well-being. GHHC’s active network of trained and certified facilitators lead virtual and in-person mind-body skills groups and workshops, underscoring the Institute’s dedication to addressing the psycho-social needs of Greater Houston’s most at-risk and historically underserved communities and faith communities in multiple languages with diverse cultures and traditions. For more information about the Greater Houston Healing Collaborative, visit https://www.spiritualityandhealth.org/ghhc.

About the Institute 
The mission of The Institute for Spirituality and Health is to enhance well-being by exploring the relationship between spirituality and health. The Institute advances this mission by engaging in education, research, and direct service programs, guided by its four centers of excellence: the Rabbi Samuel E. Karff Center for Healthcare Professionals, the Center for Body, Spirit, and Mind, the Center for End of Life and Aging, and the Center for Faith and Public Health.

The Institute is an independent interfaith organization established in 1955. A founding member of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, the Institute has made a meaningful difference by cultivating heart and humanity in healthcare. The Institute will celebrate a major milestone in May 2025 as it prepares for its 70th anniversary. Over the past seven decades, the Institute has emerged as a pioneering thought leader at the intersection of faith, medicine, and mental health. Driven by the belief that healthcare must nurture the body, mind, and spirit, the Institute has engaged in decades of mission-focused community education. 

For more information about The Institute, visit https://www.spiritualityandhealth.org/.

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Joanna Martin