HARPER’S FERRY, WV. APRIL 12, 2010:
New Horizons Support Network, Inc., sponsors of the Small “Zones of Peace” Project, announced plans today for its next major endeavor, the Habitat For Healing Remodeling Project. The renovation undertaking will ensure that New Horizons will, once again, have a home base for its community development and violence prevention training programs. New Horizons is a locally-based, non-profit organization, offering leadership training through its Small “Zones Of Peace” Project initiative. It will officially launch the project April 15, 2010.
Throughout the coming months, an all out remodeling effort will be carried forth at New Horizons’ Harpers Ferry Retreat Center, the Habitat For Healing. With volunteer lea
ders organizing into project teams, full-scale renovations will be geared toward cleaning up, repairing and a general fixing up of the existing structure as well as the surrounding grounds. New Horizons has been blessed with a beautiful mountainside property on which to develop a training and retreat center. Set on ten mostly wooded acres just above the C & O Canal, the Potomac River and the historic town of Harpers’ Ferry, the New Horizons’ Habitat For Healing retreat center is one of the organizations’
greatest joys as well as one of its biggest challenges. In its naturally restorative environment, the Center will offer community development education, leadership training, community gatherings, camping and hiking. New Horizons’ Small “Zones Of Peace” Executive Director and Founder, Anastasia Rosen-Jones who makes her home at the center, conceived of the current projects during the years 1998 – 2003 while she was blind (See Frederick News Post, August 6, 2006, page C1). As a result of her blindness during those years, Ms. Rosen-Jones took an eight year sabbatical from her work as a psychotherapist and an about-to-be published author. New Horizons programs ceased to operate at this point and the Harpers’ Ferry project faced a major setback.
In 2008 a fire on the property held up remodeling efforts. Nonetheless, Ms. Rosen-Jones was far from idle during her time of blindness. Unable to see clearly she speaks of these years as a period of “awe;” a time in which, unable to see even her own face, she found herself able to constantly see the presence and hear the voice of a Higher Source. From this experience Ms. Rosen-Jones felt herself being guided to create small “zones of peace” in communities, if she should ever be able to have her eyesight restored.
After a series of seven eye surgeries restored her eyesight in 2003, Ms. Rosen-Jones began creating what was to become the Small “Zones Of Peace” non-profit project. In 2006 she formally established the initiative’s present mission which is still evolving.
The Small “Zones of Peace” Project takes its name from a quote of Mahatma Gandhi about “carving out zones of peace in our personal relations where violence and deceit won’t be used.” In every action that is carried out in the initiative’s programs, especially on the land, the day-to-day principles of this quote are consistently applied. They are most obvious, however, when individuals and groups team up to work at the retreat center, or as Ms. Rosen-Jones does, living on the land, modeling and teaching the essentials of “awe.”
In order to carry forth Ms. Rosen-Jones’ vision and re-establish the retreat center for New Horizons’ programs, volunteers who are willing to work on the remodeling project as well as monetary donations to purchase building materials are now being requested. The goal is for the Habitat For Healing remodeling project to be completed in time for a re-opening set for April, 2011.
Contact: Sue DeVeer, Project Manager, suedeveer@juno.com
