Winter WomanSpirit 2009
Weaving Our Sacred Tapestry
Unitarian Universalist Church, Peoria, Illinois
February 20-22, 2009

Women of the Peoria church welcomed over 100 participants for a weekend retreat featuring the talents and presence of singer/songwriter Shelley Graff and friends Kathy Crocco, dorrie and Karen Andermills.

We raised over $500 through the Silent Auction for the W&R scholarship fund, and several hundred dollars was raised through the raffle of the weavings for our social outreach project, the Betty Friedan Tribute by the Peoria YWCA. They will rename the YWCA childcare center the Betty Friedan Child Care Center and will establish a "Celebration Hall" in her name. The feminist crusader and author whose book The Feminine Mystique brought her international fame as one of the principal architects of the new Feminist Movement, was a native of Peoria.

More reports, photos and video are on the way! If you have some to share, send them!

One of these snapshots is just a portion of one of the gorgeous weavings created by all the women at the retreat, with the direction of women of the Peoria Weavers' Guild.

Click here to view these pictures larger

The "food song" goes like this:

May the women feed you,
May the wisdom feed you,
May the (clap, clap) witches feed you.
(sing twice)
And the food (And the food),
And the food (And the food),
And the food, and the food, and the food.
(sing twice and repeat until satisfied!)

logo by Amanda Beadles