WELLderness Close Out: Thanks and Goodbye for Now!

WELLderness closes out this year, to return in the new year. Read more about the program’s success below.

By Zerline Hughes Spruill

Yoga, and tai chi, and forest bathing – oh my! We hope you heard about it, joined in, and shared with a friend, because our very first year of WELLderness has concluded. We know, we know, it’s sad news, but worry not: WELLderness returns next year! 

WELLderness: An Outdoor Wellness Series grew out of a need to answer our park neighbors’ feedback over the years to hold more fitness activities in the community, respond to a need for physical-distanced outdoor events, and provide opportunities for healing to neighbors and visitors. And we were even able to bring back a bit of music to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens (remember Jazz in the Gardens?). 

We are thankful to our expert instructors and performers who brought their full selves to the park to provide enriching sessions of art, mindfulness, percussion, and movement. Coach Darrell Fogan (tai chi); Adrienne Shaw (yoga), Simone Agoussoye (painting), East of the River Steel Band (steel drum band), Seraiah Simmons (therapeutic art), Sireen Jawdat (adult art therapy), Audrey Roxas (yoga), J. Sage Raindancer (forest bathing), Jordana Rubenstein-Edberg (smartphone photography), Bele Bele Rhythm Collective (drumming), and our board member Dana Fronczak (birding). And we were really excited to have our neighbors Leniqua’dominique Jenkins and Junel Jeffrey step up and lead pack walks! Another thanks goes out to Anacostia Watershed Society for hosting canoeing and pontoon boat sessions and Aselin Flowers of ArtREACH.

Did you miss out on WELLderness this year? Or are you already thirsting for more opportunities to focus on self-care at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens? WELLdnerness returns next year thanks to funding from a number of local foundations and donors like you in late spring, so keep your eyes peeled for the lineup of new (and many of the same) offerings, and tell a friend!

And to our Kenilworth Aquatic Park neighbors: you will continue to receive WELLderness priority so watch your inboxes and doorsteps for fliers.

Have an idea for us to include in next year’s planning? Email zerline@fokag.org.