The Monastery opens its heart to Canterbury
A national charity is opening the doors of its wellness retreat for a whole year, providing retreats free of charge to people directly affected by Canterbury’s 22 February earthquake.
The Wise Group is a family of charitable organisations which aims to create fresh possibilities for the wellbeing of people, organisations and communities. The group’s wellness retreat in the heart of the Waikato – The Monastery – gives people the chance to rest, recover and plan for the future.
The Monastery’s national manager Andrea Rowe says the Wise Group saw first-hand the devastation from the earthquake in Canterbury, and many staff and clients were directly affected. All pitched in to help and the Wise Group wanted to continue to assist.
“The Wise Group has more than 20 years’ experience supporting people through times of stress and trauma, providing health, mental health and wellness services. We believe our experience will help those affected by the trauma of the earthquake,” Mrs Rowe says.
“We know this type of retreat can be invaluable. Women affected by the September Christchurch earthquake have stayed as guests at The Monastery and described the experience as transformational,” Mrs Rowe says.
The Wise Group will provide free five-night wellness retreats from April 2011 for a year, on arrangement. Guests will include people who have lost loved ones or have been displaced, and carers who have given so much to helping others.
“The Monastery has always nurtured people, as a family home, a peace haven for soldiers returning after World War II and, as the name suggests, a monastery,” Mrs Rowe says. For the past six years, the Wise Group has provided wellness retreats at The Monastery for women experiencing stress, burnout and depression.
The Wise Group’s approach of working in partnership with others and cost-effectively creates the opportunity to respond to needs such as this. Therapists and counsellors around the Waikato have offered services for free, and suppliers have offered products and services at reduced rates or even full sponsorship. Some airfares have been donated by Air New Zealand.
The Wise Group would like to hear from:
- people directly affected by the earthquake who would benefit from a wellness retreat
- people who would like to pay to stay at The Monastery for a wellness retreat. Anyone who pays to stay helps someone affected by the Christchurch earthquake to stay for free
- people and organisations wanting to donate goods on our wishlist on our website.
To register interest or to donate: Please phone 0800 MONASTERY (0800 66 62 78) or go to our website at www.themonastery.co.nz.
Media inquiries: Please contact Jeanette Tyrrell, group communication manager, Wise Group, phone 07 857 1571, cell 027 507 7599, email jeanette.tyrrell "at" wisegroup.co.nz.
