June 20 Update:

Our friend and Sunlight Team 3 Survivor Michelle Sines organized an incredible healing retreat for rape survivors with Resilient Voices in North Carolina this September. While Sunlight cannot participate at this time, we know it will be an incredible event with proper safety measures in place as per North Carolina guidelines. Applications for their September retreat are available now through June 26! Go to http://www.resilientvoicesnc.org/applications to apply!

It was an honor to meet Michelle Sines at our Sunlight Retreat this past August as an incredible part of Team 3. I was thrilled when she reached out and wanted to do a retreat for survivors on the East Coast. The whole mission of Sunlight Retreats is to bring survivors out of darkness and empower them with the science of trauma and show them that people actually care about our healing with the love and support of our sunlight volunteers and donors.

In the past few months, we have been sharing best practices, SOPs, timing and other ways to make this joint survivor retreat be a success. I am not remotely territorial about Sunlight Retreats, the more people willing to put in the long, hard hours to create tangible programs that bring survivors together, the better. And Michelle is practical, capable and has demonstrated she is more than willing and able to bring in volunteers and fundraise with her newly created nonprofit, Resilient Voices. Those attending our September, Asheville, North Carolina retreat for survivors will be able to experience service animal visits, equine therapy, music therapy and more in a gorgeous serene setting with mental health volunteers, trauma specialist Dr. Shiva Ghaed, and me. I hope you will join us! Make sure to join our interest list for upcoming news. The Resilient Voices with Sunlight Retreats will be held on September 24th-27th in Asheville, NC. - Sunlight Retreats Founder + Survivor Brittany Catton Kirk

Michelle, Sunlight Retreats Team 3 Member, Resilient Voices Founder and Survivor :

When most people think about loss, they think of tangible things- losing keys, the remote, a cell phone. When I think of loss, I think about sexual assault- losing friends, losing family, lost time at work, lost experiences, lost nights of sleep, and so much more. For me, one of my most significant losses was my voice. Some might argue that it was stolen, and I won’t disagree with them. But it is a loss either way.

I used to be very outgoing, outspoken, vibrant, and opinionated. After my assault, I wasn’t that person anymore, nor did I want to be for fear of drawing attention to myself. I could no longer stand up for myself, and I became so stuck in my own head that talking to anyone about anything became painful.

This year though, I began to find my voice, to find my way out and back to myself. In August of this year, I attended a retreat in San Diego, CA, for sexual assault survivors hosted by Sunlight Retreats. There I realized just how silent I have been and how that was holding me back from healing. The women I met there were accepting, empowering, and were the first push I needed to get my voice back. I knew I couldn’t stay silent anymore. There are too many survivors and more joining us every day. The resources for us are limited, the funding is lacking, and the punishment for perpetrators horribly inadequate, when there’s punishment at all. But I realized that when survivors come together, there is a support that transcends money and red tape, and there is only healing and empowerment.

So after returning home from San Diego, I thought about how I could use my voice to help others who have been stuck like me. The retreat with Sunlight was life-changing, and after research, I discovered how few retreats there are for survivors. And so I started Resilient Voices. It’s the resilient voices of survivors coming together to support each other and heal. And because of the fantastic work that Sunlight Retreats does to help sexual assault survivors, I am excited for Resilient Voices to partner with them to host our first retreat together in September 2020 in Asheville, NC.

Being a survivor is lonely. Despite how many of us there are, our silence, shame, and fear keeps us hidden. It is my hope that through these retreats, others will be able to find that they’re not alone. That they actually have an entire tribe of survivors supporting them and cheering for them. That no matter your story, we understand, we believe you, and we can’t wait to hear your voice.