“Here is an opportunity for people to see what’s available in the neighborhood for their care. At this event, people can see what’s physically here at the Jefferson School City Center and learn what we’re all about,” said Miranda Trent, Nurse Practitioner at Martha Jefferson’s Starr Hill Center. On Saturday, May 11 from 1:30 to 5 pm Trent and colleagues will be helping women learn how to take care of themselves at the Carver Rec Center.
As a special treat, at 2:15 info-Tainer Mr. Alex-Zan will present “Enjoying my me-time: Take a break… to be around for the breakthrough.” Mr. Alex-Zan is an entertainer and educator who facilitates creative and interactive presentations for a variety of audiences. A native of Charlottesville, he was one of twelve blacks to first desegregate Virginia public schools in 1958. Seating is limited and the event is for women only.
Guest vocalist Barbara Edwards and the Dynamic Mime Duo, Unity in Christ will also perform. The afternoon will include information on wellness assessments, stroke awareness training, massages, Zumba, stress reduction, cooking demonstrations, and a tour of the African American Heritage Center.
The event is supported by several of the nonprofits at the Jefferson School City Center, including The Women’s Initiative which will offer stress management sessions. Eboni Bugg, therapist and outreach coordinator at The Women’s Initiative said, “Mothers often overlook their own self-care in order to fulfill their duties as caretakers which often leads to fatigue and frustration. We’re going to give participants some tools so they can incorporate relaxation into their daily lives.”
New writers published
“The Joy of Writing” is a recently published collection of stories and narratives by students at Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville-Albemarle. The 24-page book features autobiographical stories from students from South Sudan, South Korea, El Salvador, Iran, Iraq, Rwanda, Mexico, India, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and the U.S. About ninety percent of LVCA’s students are adults learning English as a second language.
The book features students’ impressions of a LVCA workshop that involved writing on the First Amendment monument downtown. “Freedom of speech is one of the human rights and all need it. I wrote, ‘We love USA, people of Iran,’” said one student. Another student wrote, “I am very excited and very happy writing on the wall, because I don’t have that chance in my country.”
The book is free to students and tutors. Others may obtain a copy at the Literacy Volunteers office at the Jefferson School City Center for a donation in any amount.
Weekend workshop with international teacher Kofi Busia
Common Ground Healing Arts is hosting a series of four Asana and two pranayama workshops with Kofi Busia on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (May 3 to May 5) at the Jefferson School City Center.
Kofi Busia is one of the world’s foremost teachers in the Iyengar tradition. He has been teaching for nearly 40 years. He began yoga as a student at Oxford and has taught professionally all over the world ever since. Throughout the 1970’s and up until the mid-1980’s, he studied regularly with B. K. S. Iyengar at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, South India. Register online or by calling 434-321-8384. Funds raised from these workshops enable Common Ground to provide equal access to some of the healing arts at the Jefferson School City Center.
Going to the zoo
On Wednesday May 8, JABA’s Mary Williams Center will be closed while the members attend a field trip to the Virginia Safari Park. Members will tour three miles in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley with the Blue Ridge mountains and wild animals in the backdrop. When back at the center, members will continue to work on a service project of creating bags for foster children to use when carring their belongings. The center is looking for donations of fabric (large pieces), cording, or time from those who can sew.
Mother-son dance
Mothers, grandmothers, and aunts are encouraged to bring their favorite prince to the “Mother+Son Dance at Carver Recreation Center on Friday, May 10 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Pre-registration is required. Cost is $10 per couple. To register, visit Charlottesville Parks and Rec or call 434-970-3053.
Jefferson School City Center is a voice of the nine nonprofits located at Charlottesville’s intergenerational community center, the restored Jefferson School. We are a legacy preserved . . . a soul reborn . . . in the heart of Cville!
