June News

Casting for Recovery – Arkansas is hosting a fundraising event at Sassafras Springs Vineyard on Friday, June 30.

Casting for Recovery is a national organization that provides fly-fishing retreats to women who are breast cancer survivors. The two-and-a-half day retreats provide breast cancer education and peer support and are 100 percent free to participants. Fourteen breast cancer survivors are given the opportunity to be supported and encouraged while learning how to fly-fish in the great outdoors. A social worker, medical professionals and fly fishing instructors are present at all retreats. Participants include breast cancer survivors of various ages and stages of treatment or recovery.

"It is difficult to put into words how meaningful these retreats are for survivors. As staff for the retreat, I have the opportunity to witness the transformation survivors experience during a brief two-day period. I am always amazed to see the strong bond the women are able to create in a short time, mostly because of the commonality of a breast cancer diagnosis. A retreat participant once told me she left the retreat with 13 new best friends. I think that is a beautiful example of what these retreats mean to the women who attend. Events like Chefs in the Winery ensure that we can continue to offer these retreats for many years to come." 
– Miki Biggers, LCSW, OSW-C, Hope Cancer Resources Director of Social Work Services

The Arkansas chapter of Casting for Recovery is hosting a special evening at the end of this month to raise funds for future retreats that benefit local breast cancer survivors. The event – Chefs in the Winery – will take place Friday, June 30 from 6-9 p.m. at Sassafras Springs Vineyard in Springdale. The night will include a wine tasting, silent auction and hors d’oeuvres prepared by local celebrity chefs Bill Lyles of Eleven, Keith Burmylo of Bocca, Mike Robertshaw of Pressroom and Justus Moll of River Grill. Tickets are $25 per person or $40 per couple and can be purchased online here. We hope to see you there! 

The photo to the left shows Miki Biggers, LCSW, OSW-C, our Director of Social Work Services and Madeline Whitaker, our Communications Coordinator at last year’s Casting for Recovery – Arkansas fundraiser.