The PEACH Pit
Horses helping heal your heart and mind. Come join us at the barn.
Remembering 9/11
You’re not alone; reach out
Hey, all!
Here at The PEACH Pit, we value our clients, and we also value our community. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, in honor of those who have died by suicide and those struggling, we want to offer ways to help, even if you cannot make it out to see us.
Potential warning signs:
- Withdrawing: This can come in many shapes and forms:
- If someone loses interest in something they previously loved,
- If someone who normally loves being around others begins to isolate.
- Giving personal items away to those around them;
- Talking about hopelessness even if it seems minor;
- Declining energy levels for work, school or activities.
Potential Ways to Help:
Even if someone hasn’t stated what is going on, sometimes it’s difficult to reach out. That’s where reaching out to those around you can go a long way.
- A check in like “How are you?”
- A supportive message like “I am here for you.”
- Offering support, not just advice, like “If you ever need someone to sit and listen, I’m here.”
- A distraction can also help sometimes, so asking things like “Hey do you want me to bring over food?” or “Do you want to go get food with me?” can also go a long way.
Sometimes, being there for someone, even if it’s not discussing what’s truly going on, can be beneficial.
Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone around you who you can talk to without judgment.
We’re all different and special in our own ways, and we each need different care. We’re not all the same, and that’s what is beautiful.
And remember, if you’re the one struggling, it’s okay to feel the way you do. It’s also okay to ask for help when needed. You’re not alone.
If you need additional resources, here are places where you can reach out.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial or text 988
The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+ Youth): 1-866-488-7386
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Text START to 88788
NAMI HelpLine (Mental Illness & Resources): 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
You’re not alone. We are a community. ❤
~The PEACH Pit
Youth learn power tools for life
FORT VALLEY — Nine children worked with a team of horses to learn lifelong skills during The PEACH Pit’s Power Tools for Living camp.
No, not those power tools.
Respect. Responsibility. Choices and consequences. Relationship skills. Empathy. Boundaries.
Each day of the June camp focused on a different power tools, with the final day being a wrap-up of all the skills.
The camp was made possible by a State of Hope grant and a partnership with the Fort Valley Youth Center of Excellence, the camp’s host site.
Hey, federal friends: CFC giving ends Jan. 15
Dear Federal Retirees,
The 2023 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is ending. The final day to pledge using the CFC‘s Online Giving System is Jan. 15, which is a federal holiday. If you have already pledged, thank you! If you haven’t, please consider doing so today.
Here’s the thing: You can give even while you’re home over the holiday weekend by going to https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/welcome. The PEACH Pit’s CFC code is 27220.
Here’s how your donation can help:
$26 buys a box of hand warmers
$120 buys grain for three horses for two weeks
$180 provides two equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions for a client
$500 sponsors a child for summer camp
$1,000 sponsors travel, lodging and meals for a woman Veteran at a retreat
Know a U.S. military Veteran whose commitment to country made him/her larger than life?
The PEACH Pit and The P.E.A.C.H. Center are partnering to honor U.S. military Veterans with ties to Peach County, Georgia. A proposed art installation will commemorate the service of 16 Peach County Veterans with larger-than-life portraits on the side of 118 West Church St. in downtown Fort Valley.
The building has 22 bricked up windows that are about eight feet tall each. Six window spaces will be for the military emblems: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Space Force.
Here’s how the project will work: We’re soliciting nominations (with pictures a mandated part of the nomination packet) for 13 U.S. Veterans from all branches.
One image will be of 2nd Lt. Richard Davis, an original Tuskegee Airman from Fort Valley, and another will be Marine Pvt. First Class CJ Davis, his brother, who earned a Silver Star. The building owner, Gwendolyn McLeod, will also have a spot since it’s her wall. She’s an Army retiree.
A committee of community participants will select the final 13 nominees, and their names will be announced on Veterans Day 2024. The timeline for the portraits and emblems spans two years, with the first eight images being completed by Veterans Day 2025. All others will be completed by Veterans Day 2026.
Nominations for U.S. Veterans to be included will come from the community, and we’re seeking partner funds to allow us to complete the project without charging residents for the portraits. The project will cover about 2,400 square feet on the side of the two-story building, which has high visibility: It’s next to the police department, two buildings from City Hall and the county courthouse, and is one block from the post office. Anyone doing business downtown will see the exhibit.
ARTSi B! (aka Bobbi Stephon), a California-based multimedia artist and with ties to Middle Georgia, will be the portrait artist. She has been commissioned to paint portraits of Kobe Bryant and Oprah Winfrey. Here’s their artist statement. “By recreating portraits with vibrant colors, notable accuracy, and subtle yet identifiable details, I get to tell a story and add images to the collective body of artwork that we have in this world. Making people feel seen, respectfully, and fully represented, often requires composite images and a combination of mixed media. It is a passion and great joy to be witness to the experience art has on generating joy, promoting wellness, and rebuilding esteem. I am humbled and honored to capture the likeness of the U.S. Veterans in Peach County, Ga., in this dedicated, large-scale, visual arts project.”
If you would like to nominate a U.S. military Veteran (living or dead), please download and complete the form below and return with a picture to Veteran Wall Nomination, PO Box 891, Fort Valley, GA 31030. The nomination deadline is May 31, 2024. Selections will be announced Nov. 11, 2024.
Step 1 — after we have the names and pictures of the U.S. Veterans to be honored — would be to order all material needed for entire mural and then give the artist the photographs to do the portraits. Step 2 is painting the mural and the military seals/emblems. Step 3 is prepping the wall, putting up adhesive with the portraits section by section; seamlessly and sealed.
Call 478-827-3224 if you would like more information on the project or to become a sponsor.
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