Welcome to the group!

You can connect with other members, get updates and share videos.

Who are we (The Team):

Summer Crider- Retreat Organizer

Owner of The Giving Cypress and retreat organizer. With over 15 years of experience teaching, studying, and developing content across diverse fields, Summer Crider has a deep affinity for language, Deaf culture, and Nature. They established The Giving Cypress, LLC, and is passionate about sharing their love for all living beings, both humans and the More than Human World. As a life long student, teacher, and guide, Summer has honed their ability to connect with people from all walks of life and share their knowledge in engaging and inspiring ways.Summer loves exploring the world, living the nomadic life, swimming in springs, and foraging for edible plants.

Michelle Mansfield-Hom- Retreat co-coordinator

Michelle is a Clinical Herbalist, certified through studies with Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism (Boulder, CO). Through years of building a deep relationship with plant kins and the Deaf community, it is a mission of hers to empower people to come home to their bodies & health through herbalism. Michelle has a passion for the fact the human body holds a deep well of organized intelligence. People are either a beautiful harmony of vital forces or disaster (or just in between) depending on what they do and consume. Practicing from a Vitalistic perspective, Michelle sees clients, makes medicinal products, provides workshops & presentations, and enjoys going to farmers’ markets and on hikes.

Kayla Lopucki- Chef

Kayla Lopucki has a passion working with medicine through nutritional healing. As an budding nutritional and holistic chef, Kayla works with food and has been an excellent chef for our Solstice Retreat in Aspen, CO. Kayla is responsible for your dietary preferences and ensuring you are on track to a more healthier and nutritional lifestyle.

Shana Gibbs- Program Assistant

Shana Gibbs, an avid outdoorswoman who is a certified LNT Instructor and Outdoors Afro Volunteer Leader, will join us as our Program Assistant for the ReWilding Retreat. Shana's journey has led her from the classroom to the embrace of nature through outdoor leadership. Her deep connection to Deaf education and inclusivity now intertwines with the wisdom of the earth. Shana's role is indispensable in ensuring the seamless execution and participant comfort of the retreat. She will assist in retreat planning and organization, arrange lodging and room assignments, helping us create a balanced retreat schedule, prepare the site for car campers, introduce and manage the community cleanup chart, conduct a Leave No Trace workshop, offer culinary support if needed, and help ensure a smooth check-out and clean-up process. Shana's contributions will be essential to creating a well-organized and enjoyable experience for all retreat participants, allowing them to focus on their personal rewilding journey.

Packing Essentials:

Here's a starting point for your packing list:

• Towels

• Swimsuit (if interested in hot tub and sauna)

• Comfortable clothing for various activities

• Nature journal & colored pencils/pens

• Sunscreen & Insect repellent

• Headlamps or small camping lanterns

• Reusable water bottle

• Drums or your favorite musical instruments

• Yoga mats & meditation cushions

• Your own plates, cups, utensils

We'll send a final packing list with any additional details the week before the retreat.

Traveling in October

• A friendly reminder that October is when the fall leaves change color in West VA, a destination for weekend retreats. This can lead to increased traffic and higher flight and rental prices. We recommend booking your flights/rental sooner rather than later. Dulles International airport, Baltimore Washington International (BWI), and Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA). Rental car and carpooling is recommended as you would need to drive to Mathias, West VA. Turo is a good cheap alternative for rental car.

Exciting News! Scholarships Awarded & Community Call

We were deeply moved by the passion and hunger for healing expressed by our scholarship applicants. To make it possible for us to accept all, we've asked scholarship recipients to contribute at least $100, and most have graciously agreed. After some consideration and budgeting, we've decided to accept all who applied for scholarships!

This is truly a community effort, and we're so grateful for their commitment.

Final Registration closes on October 5th

Please share this information, who might benefit from rewilding and nature connection! We're working hard behind the scenes (including fundraising, writing letters asking for sponsors) to make this happen, but your support in spreading the word is invaluable. Consider this an investment in your community, in Nature, and in the healing that is bound to happen!

Lodging Placements:

To make room for all of us, we have reserved two lovely Airbnb cabins close by and are working with Lost River Vacations to ensure space for some of you who opt to sleep in your mobile vans/campers or tents. We will be working on a form to send out for those who need special accommodations.

Schedule of Activities and Workshops:

We will be sharing the schedule next week once we have finalized our instructors and workshop offerings. If you were contacted to lead a workshop, please mark your calendar for Monday, October 7th to gather and discuss scheduling/offerings. Please confirm by this Doodle Poll.

Connect with Fellow Attendees:

We encourage you to go ahead and join this WhatsApp group to introduce yourself and communicate with each other, this is also the best way to also coordinate transportation/carpooling. The sooner you join, the easier we can coordinate information among you all!

Forms to fill out and deadlines:

Please sign the following forms by October 1st:

• Liability Waiver Form: https://www.thegivingcypress.com/agreement

• Health Information Form for the meals- click here

Excited to explore magic with you soon!

The ReWilding Nature Retreat Team - Summer, Michelle, Kayla, and Shana