Check and/or bookmark our classes & events calendar for up to date information about our community cancer programs.
There are several exciting events coming up at ACEF.Be sure to enter your email to the right, and never miss a beat by receiving weekly updates on what is happening at ACEF.
1: Join Us For Our Open House
We are excited to invite you to our open house. Please join us to celebrate the opening of
The Absenger Cancer Education Foundation on
Friday, February 27, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
2: Group Drumming
On Sunday, February 22, our Group Drumming Circle is once again scheduled. Our community drum circle is a fun, facilitated group that is open to all ages and no music experience is necessary. Join us!
The facilitator for this event is Lisa Ziemelis, MT-BC, NMT
Cost: FREE to Members of the Absenger Cancer Education Foundation | $10 for Nonmembers
3: Healing the Healers Workshop
On March 7, 2015, we have an all-day mind-body medicine training workshop planned just for nurses and healthcare providers. Space is still available for this workshop.
If you are in the health care field, please consider attending this exciting workshop. If you know a person in the health care field, please send this announcement.
4: Mind-body Medicine Skill Building At Four Pointes
Four the past six weeks, Karri and Werner have been guests at Four Pointes every Tuesday evening teaching a Mind-body medicine skill-building series.
Four Pointes promotes the vitality and well-being of older adults 50+ in North Ottawa County since 1969 by offering life-long learning and enrichment programming, home services, consumer advocacy programs, information, and referral.
For Karri and Werner it has been (and is) a privilege to teach mind-body medicine at Four Pointes. However, there are only two sessions left. Please watch for an announcement for other groups forming at ACEF.
5: Meditation Session for Four Pointes “Living It Campaign”
On Monday, February 23, Werner will be at Four Pointes from 10:30 am to 12 noon to give a presentation as part of Four Pointes’ “Living It Campaign.” The presentation is titled
What is Meditation Anyway and Why Should You Care?
Here is a brief description of what participants will have a chance of practicing.
Meditation is a mind-body medicine practice that has been used throughout history to increase calmness and physical relaxation. It is important to know that mind-body medicine modalities focus on the interaction between your brain, mind, body, and behavior. You will learn about seven different kinds of meditation and how they are used to manage stress, improve psychological balance, help you cope with illness and help you enhance your overall health and well-being. You will also have an opportunity to practice “Expressive Meditation.”
Subsequently, check out, or events calendar for our weekly meditation sessions. We have received great feedback on those.
Please feel free to stop in anytime to check out a meditation session for yourself. Drop-in fee for meditation is only $8 per session. If you like the meditation sessions and plan on often attending, then a monthly membership might be your best option.
Memberships start at only $29 a month and include unlimited yoga, qigong, and group drumming as well. Other benefits of membership include 50% off of all other classes, events, workshops and services.
6. Providing Lung Cancer Support, Information, and Camaraderie
An often mentioned concern of lung cancer patients and caregivers is the lack of lung cancer-specific support groups and other types of psychosocial counseling.
Many people diagnosed with lung cancer have tried general cancer support groups and found them unsatisfactory because the issues facing people living with lung cancer may be significantly different from those diagnosed with other cancers.
While the number of support groups is increasing, there are relatively few lung cancer support groups in existence. That is despite the fact that psychosocial support has been shown to be of significant value as an adjunct to medical treatment for people with cancer.
It is for these reasons that we have chosen to set up this lung cancer support group. Learn more about our lung cancer support group here and please let people know about West Michigan’s only (according to the Lung Cancer Alliance) lung cancer support group.
7: Community Cancer Programs Coming Soon:
Nutrition Programs and Counseling
Werner has seen clients on a one-on-one basis for nutritional assessment and counseling. After the feedback, we received we have decided to make healthy eating and nutrition a central program. We are currently developing nutrition workshops for cancer patients/survivors and health care providers. These workshops will be centered around evidence-based nutrition in oncology. Contact Werner about healthy eating, mindful eating, and other nutrition programs or enter your email to the right to be informed when they are starting.
In the meantime, you can contact Werner to schedule your one-on-one nutritional counseling session. The fee is $50 per session for members and $100 per session for nonmembers. Generally speaking, it will take three or four sessions to develop and implement a personalized lifestyle makeover based on healthy eating and nutrition. This service is for anyone interested in making significant lifestyle changes.
SWEET-Sexual Wellness Enhancement & Enrichment Training
We are starting sign-up participants for our second running of our SWEET workshops.
Please take a moment and look at out our 3 Part Workshop: Dealing with Prostate Cancer, Intimacy and Sexual Health. This workshop will only be scheduled with a minimum of 4 participants. For more information and/or to reserve your space contact Werner.
We are also starting sign-up for the second installment of SWEET-Sexual Wellness Enhancement & Enrichment Training for Cancer Survivors. This workshop will only be scheduled once a minimum of 6 participants reserve space and confirm attendance.
8: Donate to ACEF
And finally, please consider giving to ACEF. Each month, it costs nearly $1,500 to offer a safe and supportive environment to transform the relationships and lives of many people affected by cancer right here in West Michigan.
By joining ACEF’s Monthly Giving Program, you can help us offset these costs! For just $10 a month; or $2.50 per week; or .33 cents a day, you can make a significant difference in the fight against cancer. That is less than the cost of a premium coffee beverage per week. All it takes is 150 people each to give $10 per month and we have reached this goal!
We cannot do this without you and frankly, our community cancer programs depend on the generosity of our members, friends, followers and fans. Donate securely via PayPal (No PayPal account needed) here.
Over to you…
How do you slow down in times of stress, chaos and challenge? How can we help you to set up a self-care regimen for healthy living, whether you are a cancer survivor or not?