Uncorked!

The Uncorked! Wine, Craft Beer & Hors'd'oeuvre Tasting, Silent & Live Auction has been scheduled for Friday, October 7th at the Embassy Suites Hotel in East Peoria!

We are excited for all of our wine, craft beer & food vendors to get together again and show us their best products!

This year, we are looking for new people to help us secure items for our silent and live auction! If you are interested in helping us with Uncorked! in anyway, please contact Ashlyn at asmith@cchlpeoria.org or (309) 693-8139!

Fancy Schmancy Market to Benefit CCHL!

Nothin to do this Saturday?

Don't miss the Fancy Schmancy Market! It will be held on May 15th inside CCHL and the Hult Health Education Building (5215 N. Knoxville Avenue Peoria, IL) from 10am-5pm. There is no entrance fee.

There will be at least 40 local artists, craftsmen and home businesses showing and selling their unique work.

The Entertainment will also be a MUST SEE:

10am- Peoria Ballet
11 am- Mary-Ellen Urich, Local Director with Students doing pieces from Guys and Dolls, and several other local plays.
1pm- Savannah Kutak (Local Singer)
2 pm- Collin Krause at 2pm (Local 13 year old who is a mandolin and string instrument genius!)
3pm- Isle of Erin Irish Dancers

Come and Support Your Community this Saturday!

Volunteers Needed!

On March 19th we will be putting together our Spirit of Living invitations and we need your help! We will begin around 9am and continue until they are DONE. If you are interested in helping, please call 693-8139 or e-mail me at asmith@cchlpeoria.org!

The more the merrier! Lunch will also be included =)

Tai Ji Retreat!

This year-- the Cancer Center for Healthy Living will be hosting its 11th Annual Prairie Treasures "Working with Metal" Spring Tai Ji Retreat!

The Retreat will be led by Cielle Tewksbury. She received her undergraduate degree from Norwich University in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Cross Cultural Dance Anthropology.

She received her dance training from the American School of Dance and the Bella Lewitsky Dance Company. Sifu Tsuei Wei at the Academy of Chinese Culture in San Francisco and Lawrence Galante were her instructors in Tai Chi Chaum.

She is a Senior instructor Tai Ji Master, Chungliang Al Huang. As co-creator and presenter at the Annual Fall Retreat for Women, Ms. Tewskbury offers workshops in Mythology, Movement and Symbolism. She currently conducts classes in Tai Ji and Yoga in Vermont and offers seminars in Europe and the US.

The Retreat will be held at the Wildlife Prairie State Park on Saturday & Sunday, April 10th and 11th.

Saturday:
Sign-in: 9am-9:15am
Workshop: 9:30am-NOON
Lunch (Included): NOON-1:30pm
Workshop: 1:30pm-4:30pm

Sunday:
Workshop: 9am-NOON

The Cost for both days is $120.00
The Cost for Saturday ONLY: $80.00
The Cost for Sunday ONLY: $60.00

Please Register today by logging on to our website under SPECIAL EVENTS or stop by our office at 5215 N. Knoxville Avenue.

Home Run Challenge Again!

Get excited! The Home Run Challenge to benefit CCHL has begun again! The challenge is between the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox!

We are asking that each of you pledge a fixed amount of money on EACH home run your team hits during the 2010 MLB Baseball Season! Last year we had individuals pledge anywhere from .10 all the way to $10! We raised $15,000 because of it!

Sign up today at www.cchlpeoria.org and click Special Events and Home Run Challenge. You can pledge as little or as much as you would like, every penny helps!

Updates at CCHL

CCHL's schedule is getting jam packed in the next few months! We have alot of great workshops and activities scheduled that you need to make sure you are a part of!


Mandala Art Therapy

Join Lisa Nelson Raabe in an art therapy session! Lisa will give you through the process of creating mandala's. What is a mandala? Mandala means "circle." This circle can symbolize the universe and its wholeness. In an art therapy session, you are guided to create images in the center of a circle. This process becomes an artistic focus for meditation.

If you are interested-- don't stall, register for today for one or all of Lisa's Classes!
*February 4 @4:30PM
*March 4 @ 4:30PM
*April 1 @ 4:30
*May 6 @ 4:30

All classes will be held at CCHL on Knoxville. Register today at 693-8139!

- Chinese Tea Tasting: February 16th

We are proud to present a Chinese Tea Tasting with Hong Ji on Tuesday, February 16th from 6:00-7:30PM at the CCHL Office on Knoxville!
Have you ever wondered why the Chinese are so healthy? According to Hong Ji, owner of Chinese Tea Ltd., it's because of the tea.

Join Hong Ji as she explains all the wonderful benefits of tea and how it can be used to:

*Increase antioxidants
*Lower Cholesterol
*Boost Metabolism
*Burn Calories
*Regulate Female Emotions
*Sooth Nervous System
*Cleanse Kidney and Bladder
*Remove Arterial Plaque
*Regulate Gastrointestinal System
*Increase Stomach Enzymes
*Increase Peristalsis in the Intestines

The Tasting is FREE. Reserve your spot today by calling 693-8139!


Stay tuned for the exciting activities coming up in March & April

Online Counseling!

CCHL is super excited to announce its new program! We are now offering an online support group and individual/family counseling!

*Are you too tired to drive to a support group meeting?
*Do you not have any transportation to a support group meeting?
*Do you live too far away from Peoria to come?

CCHL now offers an online support group on Wednesdays from 10-11:30am! Individual and Family online counseling is also available by appointment!

Requirements for online support:
*Must be affected by cancer
*Must have high speed internet
*Must be comfortable with your computer

If you are interested in joining the online support group or want additional information, please contact Debra Disney, the Counseling Coordinator today at (309) 243-3461!

New Year for CCHL!

The Cancer Center for Healthy Living is excited to be starting 2010! We want to start the year by remembering those who fought their cancer with strength and courage. The link below is to my fundraising page. It is my hope to start this year very positive and donate to our organization so that we can continue to help those touched by cancer live life to the fullest. Specifically, you can make a donation in honor of a survivor or to all cancer survivors.

http://www.firstgiving.com/ashlynsmith





Please click on the link above to go to my fundraising page. Thank you for reading this and I hope you help us help those who need it most.

What's Up at CCHL

Hey Everybody! There are a few exciting things happening' with CCHL!

Thursday, December 10th the Cancer Center for Healthy Living will be hosting its annual Holiday Open House! It will be held at CCHL from 5:30pm-7:00pm!

Please join us for great food and dessert from Echo Valley Meats! We will be celebrating our participants, volunteers and donors from the past year.

Please R.S.V.P. today by calling 693-8139!


In an effort to save money, the CCHL newsletter will be going electronic! In order to make this transformation successful, please make sure that you e-mail your address is newsletter@cchlpeoria.org today!

Healthy Holiday Cooking Demo!

On Tuesday, November 17th the Cancer Center for Healthy Living and the OSF Dietetic Interns will be holding their annual Healthy Holiday Cooking Demonstration!

If you are interested in delicious holiday food, you cannot miss this demonstration! Samples and recipes will be provided.

The demonstration will be held at 12:00 Noon and 5:00pm at Lippert, Inc. (7719 N. Pioneer Lane in Peoria, Illinois)

Please R.S.V.P. today by calling 693-8139 and bring a friend!

Uncorked!

Friday night we had our Uncorked! Wine, Craft Beer & Hors d'oeuvres, Silent & Live Auction at the Embassy Suites Hotel in East Peoria! We had approximately 450 in attendance and had a great time! We had 11 Wine Vendors and 12 Food Vendors from local wineries, distributors and restaurants! We are sorry if you missed this fabulous event and hope that you will participate next or or come back next year!

Thank you to everyone who made this event a success- including the vendors, participants and the Uncorked! 2009 committee!

Inspiration from Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul

I recently purchased Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul, 101 Healing Stories about those who have survived cancer and I have found their stories fascinating...

When will you write your story??


Amy Graham

Where there's life, there's hope
-Marcus Tullius Cicero

After flying all night from Washington, D.C., several years ago, I was tired as I arrived at the Mile High Church in Denver to conduct three services and hold a workshop on prosperity consciousness. As I entered the church, Dr. Fred Vogt asked me, "Do you know about the Make a Wish Foundation?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Well, Amy Graham has been diagnosed with terminal leukemia. They gave her three days. Her dying wish was to attend your services."

I was shocked. I felt a combination of elation, awe and doubt. I couldn't believe it. I thought kids who were dying wanted to go to Disneyland, or meet Sylvester Stallone, Mr. "T" or Arnold Schwarzenegger. Surely they wouldn't want to spend their final days listening to Mark Victor Hansen. Why would a kid with only a few days to live want to come hear a motivational speaker? My thoughts were interrupted.....

"Here's Amy," Vogt said, as he put her frail hand on mine. There stood a 17-year-old girl wearing a bright red and orange turban to cover her head, which was bald from all the chemotherapy treatments. Her bent body was frail and weak. She said, "My two goals were to graduate from high school and to attend your sermon. My doctor's didn't believe I could do either. They didn't think I'd have enough energy. I got discharged into my parents' care....This is my mom and dad."
Tears welled in my eyes, I was choked up. My equilibrium was shaken. I was totally moved. I cleared my throat, smiled and said, "You and your folks are our guests. Thank you for wanting me to come." We hugged, dabbed our eyes and separated.

I've attended many healing seminars in the U.S., Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia. I've watched the best healers at work and I've studied, researched, listened, pondered and questioned what worked, how and why.

That Sunday afternoon I held a seminar, which Amy and her parents attended. The audience was packed to overflowing with over a thousand attendees eager to learn, grow and become more fully human.

I humbly asked the audience if they wanted to learn a healing process that might serve them for life. From the stage it appeared that everyone's hand was raised high in the air. They unanimously wanted to learn.

I taught the audience how to vigorously rub their hands together, separate them by two inches and feel the healing energy. Then I paired them off with a partner to feel the healing energy emanating from themselves to another. I said, "If you need a healing, accept one here and now."
The audience was in alignment and we shared an ecstatic feeling. I explained that everyone has healing energy and healing potential. Five percent of us have it so dramatically pouring forth from our hands that we could make it our profession. I said, "This morning I was introduced to Amy Graham, a 17-year-old, whose final wish was to be at this seminar. I want to bring her up here and let you all send healing life-force energy toward her. Perhaps we can help. She did not request it. I am just doing this spontaneously because it feels right."
The audience changed, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Amy's dad led her up onto the stage. She looked frail from all the chemotherapy, too much bed rest and an absolute lack of exercise. (The doctors hadn't let her walk for the two weeks prior to the seminar.)

The group warmed up their hands and sent her healing energy, after which they gave her a tearful standing ovation.

Two weeks later, she called to say that her doctor had discharged her after a total remission. Two years later she called to say she was married.

I have learned never to underestimate the healing power we all have. It is always there to use for the highest good. We just have to remember and use it.

Mark Victor Hansen

Stress & Your Body!

Stress
(noun) : constraining force or influence


Stress is terrible for your body. The question constantly arises, what happens to your body physically when you are stressed out? How bad actually is the stress on your body? What is stress? How can we manage it? What can we do? HELP!

Stress effects absolutely everybody and a lot of different ways. It effects your appetite and weight and your health.

The Cancer Center for Healthy Living will be holding a free "How Stress Effects your Body" Workshop on August 26th at 5:30pm. The workshop will be held at the main CCHL office on Knoxville (located inside the Hult Health Education Building).

The session will be held by Becky Cobb and will cover some of the physiological effects and simple ways to reduce stress in your life.

Please R.S.V.P. to this intriguing workshop today by calling 693-8139!
Visit our website today at www.cchlpeoria.org

Pedal the Prairie

CCHL is gearing up for PEDAL THE PRAIRIE! Our annual recreational bike ride & walk on September 13th, 2009! The event starts at Connor Company located at 1209 W. Pioneer Parkway and proceeds through the scenic Rock Island Trail State Park!

All survivors will start the ride or the walk!! (The survivors will be wearing burgundy while everyone else wears green t-shirts!)

It is important to ride or walk at your own pace.

The distances include:

*Start to Chanute Road and Return: 1.5 miles
*Start to Alta Road and Return: 4 miles
*Start to Picnic Area and Return: 10 miles
*Start to Dunlap and Return: 12 miles
*Start to Princeville and Return: 24 miles

Please bring your family and friends outside and help support the Cancer Center for Healthy Living! We support all cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers in the community by offering free emotional support, nutrition support, healthy living classes, a resource library and a variety of workshops! The Center is supported entirely by the generosity of individuals, foundations, corporations and fundraising campaigns such as Pedal.

Registration Information:
Entry form must be returned by August 28th to guarantee a water bottle and t-shirt. The registration fee includes the cost of the t-shirt and water bottle:

Single Child Participant (Must be accompanied by an adult): $10.00
Single Adult Participant: $20.00
Family of Four: $40.00 (add $10 for each additional family member)

Please visit the Cancer Center for Healthy Living website at www.cchlpeoria.org or call 693-8139 for the registration form.

CCHL is the place to be!

Hey Everyone! Welcome to the Cancer Center for Healthy Living's blogspot! In case you are curious about us--I am here to explain it all to you!

First thing is first, the Cancer Center for Healthy Living is a non-profit organization located in the heart of Peoria, Illinois! We offer FREE services to cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers!!!

We offer a variety of resources including: Individual and Family Counseling, Group/Networking Counseling, Individual Nutritional Advice, Group Cooking Demonstrations, Cancer Basics 101: Everything you need to know about cancer! educational workshops, Healthy Living Classes such as Yoga, Tai Ji, Aerobics and Strength Training, a Resource Library and friendly faces! 

We are here to help EVERYONE touched by cancer live life to the fullest. If you have been touched in any way by cancer, we are here for you! 

Our main office is located inside the Hult Health Education Building on 5215 N Knoxville Avenue and our satellite office (which is where our counselor and dietician are located) is located inside the Peoria Cancer Center on Route 91. 

Stop by today and pick up our newsletter and additional information!

NIA: Joy of Movement Workshop!

NIA: The Joy of Movement Workshop is coming to the Cancer Center for Healthy Living!

NIA is a transformational fitness class that combines dance, martial arts AND integrated arts such as yoga that will change the way you experience your body and life!!!

Certified White Belt NIA Teacher, Debby Gaines will be here from Rockford to teach the exclusive class on Saturday, July 25th!

• The first workshop will be a NIA workshop from 10:45am-12:00pm
  
• The second workshop will be a "Playshop" from 1:00pm-3:00pm
  

Each class has a $10 fee and will be payable the day of the workshop. 

Please call 693-8139 to register today!

About NIA:

NIA is the physical celebration of the body. Learn about the NIA technique's definition of joy and how to find it in your body's way. No prior experience is necessary and you can join at your own pace!

New Healthy Living Class!!!

The Cancer Center for Healthy Living has added a new healthy living class-- called Stretch & Tone. The class is a mixture of stretching, pilates and yoga with instructor Yinka Adetola, D.C. All levels are welcome! The class is free to cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. There is a $3 drop-in fee for the general public. We hope to see everyone there!

Unbelievable Cancer Conqueror

The Cancer Center for Healthy Living and the 

Peoria Cancer Center Foundation are coming 

together June 6th to bring in one of the most 

remarkable cancer survivors of all time! Sean 

Swarner is a two-time cancer survivor who was 

first diagnosed at age 13 with Hodgkin's Disease 

and later with Askin's sarcoma. He was given 

two weeks to live in 1990 and is believed to 

be the ONLY person in the world to have been 

diagnosed with both deadly cancers. However, 

he did survive. Sean has only one functioning 

lung due to the removal of a golf ball sized 

tumor found with the Askin's diagnosis. Today, 

he has climbed the Seven Summits of the world

and has helped provide hope and inspiration to

thousands if not millions of people living with 

cancer. You will not want to miss Sean telling 

his inspirational story at the On Top of the 

World Event.

Join CCHL and the Peoria Cancer Center Foundation

June 6, 2009 6:30pm

Weaver Angus Farm, 5806 W Route 150 Peoria, Il 

61615

For additional information please visit our 

website: www.cchlpeoria.org or call 693.8139

watch Sean's amazing story at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVQGAg-k4bw

5K Run/Walk to Benefit Cancer Center for Healthy Living

By: Sharon Windsor, RD, LDN

Every Spring the Central Illinois Dietetic Association (CIDA) sponsors a 5k Run and 1 mile Walk along the Peoria Riverfront to celebrate "National Nutrition Month®" and kick off the running season. The proceeds of the event are given to deserving not-for-profit organizations. This year, the Cancer Center for Healthy Living will receive a portion of the monies raised to enhance their nutrition services. Other benefactors of this year’s event include the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Peoria and the McLean County Extension Nutrition Education Program in Bloomington.

 

Why not use this opportunity to get a little exercise, support family and friends who have been diagnosed with cancer, and enhance the Central Illinois Community? Registration fee is $20 for adults, $10 for youth, and $25 for late registration.

 

Who: Anyone who enjoys running or walking is encouraged to participate.

What: Eat ‘Em Up Fun Run

Where: Le Vieux Carre’ Building (at corner of State & Water, Peoria—near the Post Office)

Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009

Time: 8:30 a.m. Race begins

 

How to Register: Go to www.active.com by Friday, March 13, 2009.

 

Additional Perks:     

• Special prizes will be awarded to the top three runners to cross the finish line.
• Top 3 winners in each age/weight division will receive medals.
• ALL participants are eligible for door prizes!
• Post-Race Party including GREAT FOOD, Awards Ceremony, and Door Prizes!!!

 

For more information, please call (309) 685-3140 x16.

     Come Join the FUN!

Cancer Center for Healthy Living in Peoria, IL

The Cancer Center for Healthy Living is a non-profit organization located in Peoria, Illinois. The Center was founded in 1996 by a group of people touched by cancer, 6 of whom were cancer patients or survivors. This group was brought together by their common need for support beyond their medical treatment. They found no emotional support services in Central Illinois. In turn they developed a complete vision of emotional support and complementary care to meet the non-medical needs of thousands of cancer survivors and their families and friends.

The Cancer Center for Healthy Living affirms that healing occurs at emotional, mental and spiritual, and physical levels. CCHL believes in wellness programs and resources that promote a balance of mind, body and spirit. These programs enhance the quality of life and health of those affected by cancer and contributes to the healing process.

It is the Center's mission to offer services that complement the efforts of medical centers, the medical profession and other cancer organizations. CCHL is not affiliated with any medical or religious group, nor does it provide medical advice or treatment. CCHL welcomes anyone whose life has been affected by cancer and who is interested in learning skills for healthy living.

CCHL has a wide variety of programs and services free of charge to cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers. CCHL's programs include:

-Individual and Group Counseling
-Individual Nutritional Counseling
-Group Cooking Demonstrations
-Healthy Living Classes such as Tai Ji, Yoga and Aerobics
-Various Healthy Living Workshops
-Individual Reflexology (for those in treatment only)
-Massage Therapy ($25/hour for cancer patients and survivors- $30 caregiver's massage on every other Wednesday for those in treatment only)

*All services with the exception of massage are free of charge.

Please visit us on the web today at www.cchlpeoria.org or call 693-8139 for more information.