I am delighted to get to announce the 2019 details for the newly refreshed Rocky Mountain Retreat. This year the retreat will be held the weekend of September 27-29 at YMCA of the Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch near Granby, Colorado. While the retreat will continue to combine rest and recreation in a beautiful mountain setting with there will be expanded programming with stimulating speakers, workshops and discussions on scholarly, spiritual and cultural topics.
Rocky Mountain Retreaters share a love and respect for Mormon roots, whatever their current affiliation. It is a place where we can all meet on common ground to break bread together, sing together, learn together, pray together, sometimes weep together and always laugh together; to bear one another’s burdens and share in our sisterhood.
We are pleased that Dr. LaShawn Williams will be joining us as our keynote speaker. She will be speaking on our responsibilities as members of different communities. Dr. Williams is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Assistant Professor at Utah Valley University. She teaches in the Behavioral Science Department and Directs the Baccalaureate Social Work Program. She has been a social worker for 17 years and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since her mother joined in 1981. Her focus in the professional development of future social workers is culturally competent practice and access to resources for their continual growth and development in effective service delivery. The clients with whom she works are supported in active and healthy identity development, inclusive of myriad intersections like race and gender. Her research agenda is on the use of relationship in the classroom connected to cross-cultural curricular delivery.
In this time of uncertainty and division, it is good to carve out some space where the sacred is actively sought and valued. Spots fill up quickly so register today. I hope to see many of you this fall when the mountains will be gleaming with the golden aspens.
