2009 Conference
This year our conference was held from Sunday, October 4 to Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at the Days Inn in Owen Sound, Ontario. The theme was Joy and the program consisted of a variety of entertainment, open discussions and guest speakers:
- Sunday evening worship service followed by entertainment from the fabulous musical group Switchback with sing-along songs from the 50's, 60's & 70's. Formed in 2007, Switchback consists of five musically diverse individuals: Donna Kokkinen (lead and harmony singer, percussion and rhythm guitar), Jed Phillips (lead and harmony vocals and rhythm guitar), James Kokkinen (vocals and electric guitar), John McLachlan (vocals, keyboard, harmonica, guitar and banjo) and Phil Gignac (musical director, harmonies, electric bass guitar and keyboard).
- Women's Health and Chanting with Sat Dharam Kaur, N.D. She is a naturopathic doctor, author and Kundalini Yoga teacher practising in Owen Sound. She developed the Healthy Breast Program in an effort to educate women in the causes of breast cancer and in naturopathic ways to both prevent and treat it. She has developed a breast health yoga training. Sat Dharam has written two best-selling books on breast health - A Call to Women: The Healthy Breast Program and Workbook and The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Breast Cancer. Her latest book, The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women's Health was published in 2005.
- Empowering Yourself and Others and Choose to be a Risk Taker by guest speaker Bonnie Simonato. Bonnie had a busy life as a wife, mother, educator and volunteer. That life came to an abrupt stop when she fell on an icy playground while out on yard duty. After her first surgery was unsuccessful, she received a rare bone transplant. She spent 30-months in a hospital bed believing that ther body would not reject her young donor's fresh bone and that she would walk again. While confined to bed, Bonnie wrote and self-published three books: The Top Ten JOY Journal, Charting a Course for JOYful Living, and The New Top Ten JOY Journal. Check out her website at www.thejoyologist.com
The Conference also included a networking session, the Annual General Meeting, door prizes, a display of great church resources, and of course fabulous food, fun and fellowship.
