The majority of my career has been working for community-based non-profit organizations. Understanding the emotional, physical, and mental labor that goes into serving the community while juggling multiple demands is a challenge I am well aware of.
In the time I have been working for Open Horizon, I have had the honor of connecting with and learning more about our partners and their work, their challenges, and the visions they have for supporting positive change within their communities. I have also learned about the pressure and stress they navigate daily trying to maintain and grow their organization’s impact.
Last week, we welcomed 23 leaders of Open Horizon’s non-profit partners to a 2-day Leaders Retreat focused on the themes of Reflection, Connection, and Renewal. Our partners lead with compassion and commitment to their communities and this retreat is one way that Open Horizon supports their growth as leaders and their individual well-being. A lot of thought and planning went into this experience; we wanted to ensure that once our leaders joined us, they were able to be fully present in this experience to center rest.
We hosted the retreat at the beautiful Ìpàdé, which provided an intimate, warm, and welcoming environment. We hired Chef Anthony to prepare delicious meals of Latin and Italian themes. We brought in Hands in Motion Mobile Massage to indulge our leaders in chair massages. We engaged in dialogue led by our facilitators Naima and Michele of Imagine Us consulting and delved deeper into leadership through a fireside chat with Marcus Walton of GEO. We overindulged in snacks and laughs and exhales. This sacred space was curated so that our leaders could take off some of the many hats they wear and could just be.
While I am sure many are thinking that the resources that went into this retreat could have been used elsewhere, we want our partners to know that we don’t just care about what they can do or produce, we care about them, as people. This retreat was an opportunity for us to serve and support them as they do their communities.
We are grateful for the work they do and the trust they have in us as a partner. Many relationships bloomed and new relationships formed during this time together, and we are excited by what is on the horizon for our partners and us.
Some of our partners were unable to join us, and we missed them! We are thankful to those who spent time with us.
By Courtney Wright
