C.A.R.E. Presents: 2026 Empowerment Retreat

Join us at the 2026 Empowerment Retreat where we'll dive deep into self-discovery, growth, and uplifting each other as BIPOC community!

Event overview

C.A.R.E. Wellness Center is hosting its annual restorative rehab and retreat for its team of volunteers, community partners, holistic professionals, advocates, speakers, and wellness leaders, to come together to build community, share knowledge, and make memories. This is an in-person rehab experience, and we will also be livestreaming workshops for those unable to travel to this beautiful organic farm. C.A.R.E. honors sustainability, minimalism, and conservation. We celebrate the anniversary of our vision and we plan to make this year's event a powerful and memorable rejuvenation of mind-body-spirit.

Though donations are always welcome to support the work we are doing, registration fees are flexible, asking everyone to give what they can towards overnight accommodations, cleaning, toiletries, linens, food and drinks. Join us this year as we pilot this intimate experience with our closest supporters. There will be no general ticket sales for this event! We are coming together ‘potluck’ style and welcome everyone's passion for community service, ideas, feedback, and interest in participating in our workshops. This is not a resort for the privileged, but an off-grid BnB experience that gives respite to sufferers of trauma.

Event details:

C.A.R.E. Presents: Empowerment Retreat 2026

www.carewellnesswa.org/empowerment-retreat

Welcome to our Empowerment Retreat coming in 2026!

We’re offering this wellness retreat to address the poor impacts of racial socialization while navigating spaces as a Black/Brown person in a colonized, oppressive society. It is available for in-person day/overnight passes and participation in livestreaming for workshops.

• Do you experience increased anger and stress that often causes you irritability, anxiety, or physical aches and pains?
• Do you experience low confidence or low self-esteem that make it difficult for you to assert yourself, reinforce your boundaries, or advocate for your needs?
• Do you experience discomfort reflecting on, identifying, or expressing yourself when it comes to matters of race, origin, culture, diversity, equality, and inclusion?

These symptoms are an effect of trauma, like described by Dr. Joy Degruy's PTSS. C.A.R.E. Wellness Center programs focus on addressing these symptoms using holistic and natural techniques for BIPOC community and Allies.

C.A.R.E. presents our Empowerment Retreat 2026 for these reasons:

• Offer community members the benefit of reducing stress and anxiety while supporting a great cause! Click HERE to learn and support C.A.R.E.s mission to provide safe farm retreats with holistic techniques for addressing trauma. Click HERE to learn and support Dr. Joy Degruy's work on Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome. For more on trauma-informed tests on Adverse Childhood Experiences click HERE
• Fundraising goals towards launching our next wellness program. Click HERE to learn and support C.A.R.E. Wellness Programs.
• Pilot unique wellness programs, including S.A.F.E., Nature Therapy, and AgroTourism. Click HERE to learn more
• Teambuilding for the C.A.R.E. Team and committed farm, program, and community-based partnerships. Click HERE to volunteer with C.A.R.E.
• Community Engagement with local organic farms, wellness producers, and potential donors/sponsors. Click HERE to give feedback that will help us achieve better wellness programs.

This program was custom-designed for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and Allies to retreat from perpetual triggers of trauma and cultivate safe, inclusive spaces that promote healing, community, education, and progress towards self-actualization and cultural perpetuity. This retreat is extended to individual donors who will be referred to as either Program Participants or Retreat Attendees who are interested in supporting this great cause, experiencing its benefits, and participating in the research of holistic wellness as a modality to address PTSS. Ideal Participants Include:

• Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color, African-American, ADOS
• 18 years and older (no accompanying minor children and/or pets)
• LGBTQIA+ Community and Allies Welcome
• Mental Health Consumers and DEIA Proponents Welcome
• Legally-Liberated or Foster/Resource Home Emancipated Adults Welcome
• World-Travelers and International Students Welcome

Are you an Ally who exercises anti-racism?

Support your community and your loved ones today:

• Sponsor the registration of a BIPOC loved-one fully or partially
• Share this event and C.A.R.E. causes with your family, friends, and employer
• Volunteer on-site or virtually to ensure this retreat is a success

See information below about sponsorship and donation opportunities.

Join us for a transformative and rejuvenating experience where you can take a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life to focus on self-care, personal growth, and community partnership. This in-person event is designed to help you recharge, gain new insights, and connect with like-minded individuals in a supportive environment while also supporting the development of a new 501(c)3 nonprofit charity program that will help BIPOC sufferers of trauma. Get ready to embark on a journey towards self-empowerment and well-being. Mark your calendars and get ready to invest in yourself! Our wellness is our best demonstration of protesting fear and oppression, so it's also our activism.

C.A.R.E. Wellness Programs are designed to be 12-weeks long, occur on an organic farm, and feature the following 5 wellness components to address Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome for Black, Indigenous, People of Color:

• Healing Circles
• Self-Advocacy
• Nature Therapy
• Individual Counseling
• Racial Socialization

This Empowerment Retreat will showcase components of the future C.A.R.E. wellness program in an immersive 9-day restorative experience for sufferers of trauma which includes the following agenda:

• Weekend workshops and vendors available to potential community partners, vendors, donors, and program sponsors
• Weeklong Programs (S.A.F.E. & Nature Therapy) to connect our team and partners to the unique experience and benefits of our services
• On-site farm tours, outdoor activities and gardening projects
• Movie screenings and education sessions to raise awareness

What You Need to Know:

• Registration for this year is by DONATION only! With more than $6,000 of value per person attending a luxory eco-village resort, we welcome our supporters for their full participation in the crafting of this wellness program. Overnight accommodations are limited to 25 people (12 for donors, 13 spots for BIPOC members). Occupancy for the weekend Farmacy & Market is no more than 50 people. Everyone must register!
• Registration Opens NOW; Closes on Friday, April 10, 2026. Receive priority accommodations for registrations during the month of March, as is ‘first come, first served’ at opening April 17, 2026.
• Donors Welcome to Sponsor-a-Participant. Donate your registration and give access to a BIPOC member.
• Vendors Welcome to Attend April 18 for daily donation towards food, resources and feedback.
• Travel Bookings Available at www.carewellnesswa.org/agrotours. Book your travel arrangements with us and 5% is donated towards C.A.R.E. wellness programs!
• Donations and in-kind support accepted here: https://givebutter.com/c/givetocare2026

Empowerment Retreat 2026 Includes:

Healing Circles

• Scheduled gatherings and ceremonies to promote connection, safety, and communal healing
• 9-Day Nutritional Detox strongly encouraged. Participants must bring own lunch/dinner to share for ‘potluck’ buffet style shared meals. Breakfast bar is offered.
• 9-Day Journal Prompts to cope with any emotional distress

Community & Spirituality

• Farm tours and garden projects offered
• Movie screenings and campfire talks
• Opportunities for guided meditations, group movement, and more!

Self-Advocacy Workshops

• 5-Day 4-Hour Guided Workshops with "Self-Advocacy for Equity” workbook Authored by DeeDee Anderson
• Embodied Team-building activities, and empowerment projects

Nature Therapy Workshops

• 5-Day 4-Hour Guided Workshops with “Resilient Roots” workbook Authored by Alisa McDuff
• Legacy garden projects, native plant identification, and wild food and medicine teachings

Individual & Group Gatherings

• 1:1 Self-Advocacy and Peer Support Coaching offered
• 2-Hour orientation for C.A.R.E. information, team-building, and strategic planning
• 2-Hour market to learn and share BIPOC wellness goods and services
• 2-Hour workshop on becoming eco-friendly and more sustainable on a tight budget
• 2-Hour workshop on identifying when and how 'fear' shows up in the body
• 2-Hour workshop for live Community Engagement Visit/Survey to learn how C.A.R.E. is becoming a learning organization and supporting its community. Learn how to get involved!

Lodging at a remote, organic farm for pre-paid registrants only!:

• Check-In by Friday, April 17, 2026, 6pm PST to keep your registration!
• Check-Out by Saturday, April 25, 2026, 12pm PST
• Not staying overnight? No problem! Register and arrive on-site each weekday by 7am Monday-Friday to fully participate in the S.A.F.E. & Nature Therapy workshops.

Breakfast Bar provided for pre-paid registrants only:

• All food and drinks are carefully selected based on the "Cleanse to Heal" nutritional detox by Anthony William, the Dr. Sebi alkaline diet, and Nature Therapy curriculum facilitated by Ayurveda Practitioner Alisa McDuff. Each Attendee is encouraged to eat intuitively and to make food choices within the framework of fasting from overly processed, harmful foods as a means of resetting gut-brain health.
• Breakfast Bar prepared by Certified Food Handlers
• All participants are encouraged to bring their own food chests with personal food and drink options as space is limited and based on donations. Please prepare for an off-grid BnB experience.
• Each Attendee who chooses to go off-site during shared meal breaks have opted out of the shared meal/drinks offered.
• All Participants must complete a health pre-screening and pre-assessment during registration and intake to ensure provided considerations are made based on health, medical conditions, diet, allergies and food sensitivities.

Retreat Itinerary:

Day 1 - Friday, April 17 available for those who want to check-in early for accommodations, priority for registrations, otherwise "first come, first served"

• 10am Opening Circle
• 4pm-6pm Shared "Potluck" Dinner
• 6pm-8pm Movie screening "In the Circle of Life" (from "Eternal Song" series - Australia)
• 8pm-10pm Music and celebration around the campfire

Day 2 - Saturday, April 18

• 8am-10am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 10am-12pm Orientation: C.A.R.E. Orientation & Information Session
• 12pm-4pm Farmacy & Market and Working Lunch: Network with BIPOC Vendors and Potential Partners
• 2pm-4pm Workshop: Sustainability on a Budget
• 4pm-6pm Provided Dinner
• 5pm-6pm Podcast screening "Campfire Tea: Episode 1: The Body Remembers
• 6pm-8pm Movie screening "If An Owl Calls Your Name" (from "Eternal Song" series - Canada)
• 8pm-10pm Music and celebration around the campfire

Day 3 - Sunday, April 19

• 8am-10am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 10am-12pm Workshop: Fear Within the Body
• 12pm-4pm Working Lunch: Community Engagement for Learning Organizations
• 2pm-4pm Workshop: Time Banking
• 4pm-6pm Provided Dinner
• 5pm-6pm Live Podcast "Campfire Tea: Episode 2: That Gut Feeling
• 6pm-8pm Movie screening "Maori" (from "Eternal Song" series - Polynesia)
• 8pm-10pm Music and celebration around the campfire

Day 4 - Monday, April 20

• 6am-8am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 8am-12pm Self-Advocacy workshop
• 12pm-1pm Lunch
• 1pm-5pm Nature Therapy workshop
• 5pm-7pm Shared "Potluck" Dinner

Day 5 - Tuesday, April 21

• 6am-8am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 8am-12pm Self-Advocacy workshop
• 12pm-1pm Lunch
• 1pm-5pm Nature Therapy workshop
• 5pm-7pm Shared "Potluck" Dinner

Day 6 - Wednesday, April 22

• 6am-8am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 8am-12pm Self-Advocacy workshop
• 12pm-1pm Lunch
• 1pm-5pm Nature Therapy workshop
• 5pm-7pm Shared "Potluck" Dinner

Day 7 - Thursday, April 23

• 6am-8am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 8am-12pm Self-Advocacy workshop
• 12pm-1pm Lunch
• 1pm-5pm Nature Therapy workshop
• 5pm-7pm Shared "Potluck" Dinner

Day 8 - Friday, April 24

• 6am-8am Breakfast Bar, Lodging: Check-Out by 8am; Check-In by 10am
• 8am-12pm Self-Advocacy workshop
• 12pm-1pm Lunch
• 1pm-5pm Nature Therapy workshop
• 5pm-7pm Shared "Potluck" Dinner
• 8pm-10pm Music and celebration around the campfire

Day 9 - Saturday, April 25

• 6am-8am Breakfast Bar
• 8am-10am Workshop: C.A.R.E. Directory & Referral System
• 10am-12pm Closing Circle, Celebration Brunch, Lodging Check-Out by 12pm

Food/Kitchen Access for Registered Program Participants Includes:

• All attendees participating in shared meals understand that while we will attempt to have food and drinks donated, shared meals are donation-based, and any meals not provided will be a buffet-style ‘potluck’. All attendees should consider this an 'off-grid' experience and prepare to bring your own personal chest of food/drinks.
• To avoid kitchen traffic, contaminants, and incident, the kitchen is off-limits to all attendees during meal prep which are scheduled between the following hours: 5am-8am, 10am-12pm and again 3pm-5pm. Personal food chests and prepping stations will be stored in a spacious garage off of the kitchen.
• All ingredients prepared and cooked on location will be aligned with the Healing Circle nutritional detox which is derived from "Cleanse to Heal" by Anthony William, “Resilient Roots” by Alisa McDuff, “Plant Teachings for Growing Social and Emotional Skills” by GRuB and NWITC, and also considers Dr. Sebi's alkaline diet routines and "Grow a New Body" by Dr. Alberto Villoldo.
• No illegal drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco products will be allowed on site. This includes vaping.
• All attendees participating must meet virtually 1:1 with C.A.R.E. leadership no later than Friday, April 10, 2026, to discuss health concerns, diet restrictions and allergies.
• Program Participants must complete all pre-program questionnaires via www.calendly.com/carewellnesscenter and will include the discussion of food sensitivities, health conditions, and food allergies. Please contact us for special accommodations and ADA compliance.

Lodging/Site Access for All Attendees Includes:

• Lodging is provided at a private, organic farm owned and operated by Black Food Sovereignty Coalition in Thurston County, Washington. Click HERE for more information!
• All attendees must Check-In upon arrival with a C.A.R.E. Team Member to confirm room assignments. Priority is given to those who are registered.
• All bedrooms on site are shared and on a "First Come, First Served" -basis, and only made available upon arrival at the lodging reserved for the purpose of this retreat. No "saving spots" will be allowed to respect the time and energy of attendees who are present. Please contact us directly for special accommodations and ADA compliance.
• In collaboration with the farm site reserved for the purpose of this retreat, there will be no noise pollution between the hours of 10pm-7am to respect the neighborhood ordinances and site operations.
• The site will prohibit access to any visitor and guest who is not registered to attend and can show proof of registration. Vendors must also register!
• All attendees are encouraged to bring their own sleeping bag, blanket, pillow, yoga mat, reusable water bottle, and towel for comfort. Those interested in camping outdoors, must contact programs@carewellnesswa.org before arrival.
• Beds are offered but available on a FC/FS-basis, and range in comfort as shared Full/Queen, Twin bunk beds, futons, sofa, and air mattresses.
• Towels are offered but available on a FC/FS-basis with limited staff for housekeeping. Anything coming with you, must leave with you, (unless you are donating). This is an eco-friendly and off-grid, sustainable farm. Plan accordingly.

To RSVP:

• Register here to reserve your spot! https://www.eventbrite.com/manage/events/1042180569137/details
• Additional donations happily accepted here: https://givebutter.com/c/givetocare2026
• Complete our Registration Form with additional information: https://forms.office.com/r/ksqzY0Cme9
• Book a quick consultation to complete required workshop intake with C.A.R.E.: https://calendly.com/carewellnesscenter/care_consultation_30
• Complete the Pre-Screening and Pre-Assessment during your intake no less than 1 week before the retreat

Disclaimer: We are not medical doctors or therapists. We do not diagnose illness or prescribe pharmaceuticals. We do not administer wild foods or sacred medicines. We are wellness consultants and make suggestions relating to nutrition and well-being. None of the information offered here is intended to replace any program that your chosen health professional has prescribed for you. Consult with your healthcare professional before adopting new nutritional or fitness regimens. Any physical or mental assessment made during the course of wellness program components are to measure success and for research purposes only.

Want to help your loved ones attend this retreat?

We are raising Grants, Sponsorships, and Donations towards costs of operations, marketing, and team support during this retreat, and towards the launch of our Summer Re-Entry Program. Please visit https://givebutter.com/c/givetocare2026 and/or contact our financeteam@carewellnesswa.org for more ways to help.