Well, the last two months have been quite busy at Breakthrough. We launched a workshop in April, we welcomed a new class of graduates on March 30th and we had a communications workshop called the Simpatico Method led by our very own Lee Garland at the Asilomar Conference Center. This event was open to both Breakthrough alums and the general public. This is the start of an outreach from Breakthrough to share our tools with the broader community. Plans are in the works to start running additional shorter workshops so that we can invite friends, family members, and loved ones to share a little bit in the work we do.
Another exciting milestone was opening registration for our Summer Retreat. This year we meet again in San Juan Bautista at the Saint Francis retreat center, August 25th to 27th. Our theme this year is “Taking life on with love! Responding to life's challenges with the 5A's.” I am very excited to announce a special keynote speaker Friday night at our retreat, Fred Jealous. This is a chance for past alumni to come back and get a little dose of Fred and, for those men like myself who haven't experienced Fred in the workshop, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear from the man who started it all. He'll be available before dinner to talk with anybody who wishes to join him and speaking after dinner starting our weekend off with his insight and wisdom.
As we move into summertime, I would be remiss not to mention that our annual BBQ is also on the calendar. Sunday August 13th we will gather in Carmel Valley village at the community park once again to share food and fun and to appreciate all the volunteers who support Breakthrough with their time talent and love. This is our annual celebration for all our volunteers, and I encourage everyone to come out and show your appreciation to those men who have supported you in your Breakthrough journey. We're also going to have some pretty amazing BBQ again and perhaps even a few games to play on the beautiful green lawn. Remember this event is open to everyone including our families our friends our partners our dogs and our marsupials... Well maybe not marsupials. Registration will open soon.
Last, I'm thrilled to announce that we have started running our workshops using the InTouch app. For those of you who don't know about InTouch there is a separate article in this newsletter talking about the rollout, application, and ability for this tool to help us connect more within our community. It has taken the dedication and hard work of several men to make this happen. And it is all for you our graduates, alumni, and community members. We are working hard to help find more ways that we can connect and support you in your day-to-day lives.
In Love and the 5A’s