Vermont Reiki Association newsletter, Winter,

‘04/‘05

        This is our first quarterly newsletter. I want use this letter to thank all of the volunteers who have helped us transform an idea for a Vermont Reiki organization into the vibrant Vermont Reiki Association that exists today.

        When I send group emails to members I do it as a blind copy to provide some privacy. The downside is that you do not know who all of your fellow members are. So I want to share the names of our members with you. Here they are as of 3-7-05:

Chris Hanna, Sunflower Sutherland, Gerri Cobb, Susan Fortier, Patricia Braine, Jen Kristel, Donna Thomas, David Hale, Christopher Worthing, Robert Borkowski, Trudi Denison, Lynn McNicol, Sabina Evarts, Candice Russell, Jean Potter, Reenie Sargent, Jutta Miner, Colleen-Manning-Brito, Inge Nelson, Darlene Green, Resa Williamson, Kelly McDermontt-Burns, Bridget Kimsey, Stefani Us.

I want to acknowledge specific members as well as a number of non-members who have volunteered their time for VRA projects.

Sunflower Sutherland is one of our original founders. She has joined at the “Founder’s” level. She has been involved in every aspect of the VRA’s development. She has held positions of vice-president, secretary, and web-master. As web master she spent many hours putting together our site.

She has participated in all of our clinics. She has recently moved to North Carolina with her family but still maintains the VRA web site. Chris Sutherland, Sunflower’s husband, is not a member but helped us get the web site on line, take and transmit Reiki photos and has been very supportive.

Gerri Cobb is our treasurer who also did double-duty as our membership coordinator. She has joined at the “Founder’s” level. She assisted with the web site, helped design the logo, attended all of our clinics, and has been one of the stalwarts of our organization.

Donna Thomas, is our new member coordinator. She has joined at the “Founder’s” level. She has attended all of our Reiki clinics, is responsible for setting up our clinic at Saint Michael’s College, was a Reiki volunteer at Respite House for a year and is now a staff member.

Donna is directly responsible for the VRA’s participation at Respite House.

Jean Potter is the coordinator of our Respite House activities. She has joined at the “Founder’s” level. She brings to the VRA many years of experience doing Reiki with seniors’ groups.

Resa Williams has participated by doing Reiki with Jean Potter at Respite House.

Marcia Ring is a Nursing Doctoral candidate who first approached the VRA to see if we were interested in participating in her Reiki research project. Although she is a non-member she regularly attends VRA meetings and has helped us to form a “vision statement”.

Patricia Braine has regularly participated in VRA meetings, helped at our St. Michael’s clinic, and has proposed putting together a Reiki video.

Sabina Evarts has attended many of our meetings and helped with the design of the logo. She has joined at the “Founder’s” level. She participated in our clinic at the University of Vermont. She was our first coordinator at Respite House.

Lynn McNicol has attended some of our meetings. She has written an article for “Vermont Maturity Magazine” which mentions the VRA. She attended the outing at Red Rocks Park.

Jen Kristel has attended many of our meetings and contributed to our logo design. She has joined at the “Founder’s” level.

Trudi Denison is an experienced Reiki teacher and practitioner who has volunteered to be a regional member coordinator in the area of Vermont roughly extending from Montpelier to White River Junction.

Susan Fortier has joined at the “Founder’s” level. She participated in the University of Vermont Clinic, and has attended many of our planning meetings.

Joan Keeler who is a non-member, participated in the VRA in the early stages before we had memberships. She is one of the original founders and served as vice-president and set up and ran many of our meetings.

Peter Braun is a non-member and participated in the VRA in the early stages before we had memberships. He is one of the original founders.

I would like to thank each of our members for joining. Some of you may not yet have had a chance to participate in a VRA clinic, meeting or social event. The clinics are very fulfilling and the meetings are usually lots of fun. Each and every member is important to us.

The last year has been busy. We developed paid membership options, vision and mission statements, a code of ethics, a web site

(www.vermontreikiassociation.org) which includes a practitioner directory (optional listing), logo, 5 year goals, membership forms and information, history and accomplishments and general Reiki information.

Outreach: In 2004 we signed on to participate in the Body, Mind, Spirit festival and the Vermont Women’s Expo. Both events were cancelled by their producers. We did a small public Reiki clinic in the Living Yoga studio in Burlington, a clinic at St. Michael’s College, an outing to Red Rocks Park in Burlington, and set up regular visits to Respite House in Williston.

2005 Goals: We will plan and hold our first annual meeting. We will reach out to Reiki practitioners, Reiki students and the general public throughout Vermont. On April 30th we are scheduled to give Reiki sessions at the Stowe “Weekend of Hope” for cancer survivors and their families. We will do the research to apply for non-profit status in 2006.

Needs: We our looking for one of our members who would like to take on the role of VRA Secretary. The position would entail taking minutes at our monthly meetings. Contact Chris Hanna at 865-9823 or channa@gmavt.net if you are interested.

        Any of our members interested in helping give Reiki sessions at Respite House please contact Jean Potter at 862-4249 or jeangenevap@aol.com .

        If you are interested in helping give Reiki sessions at the “Stowe Weekend of Hope” for cancer survivors, friends and families, on Saturday, April 30, please contact Chris Hanna. This should be an exciting and fulfilling event.

        I get asked quite often what the VRA does? I usually answer that we have a two pronged mission; to educate the community about Reiki and to support Reiki practitioners throughout the state of Vermont. The actions we take to approach these two broad goals is what we discuss at our monthly planning meetings. I hope many of you have a chance to attend a meeting.

        Our online practitioner directory is working. I receive inquiries from people looking for Reiki sessions and Reiki teachers in their area of Vermont. I guide them to the web site directory and give them names of all VRA members in their area listed on the site.

        The VRA is a unique organization because our members work with Reiki, an energy that is conscious and used for the highest good. Our organization will grow and change and members will come and go. I know that we will continue to affect many people’s lives in a beneficial way including our own.

Sincerely, Chris Hanna    President, Vermont Reiki Association,

info@www.vermontreikiassociation.org