The Geller Center will host an event to promote love and compassion this Saturday, Sept. 24, called the “Kindness Campaign.”
The Geller Center is a spiritual institution located just off of the Oval on Howes Street. It was developed by Bob Geller in 1962, and its original focus was on Christian ministry for students.
In 2011, The Geller Center dropped their Christian orientation and moved to become a place where anyone and everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, religion or any other demographic, could come and have a place to “explore their spiritual journey,” according to the Geller Center’s Executive Director, Katie Brown.
Brown said she admires the environment and energy that is created by The Geller Center, referring to it as a “safe space for people to come and develop themselves and their beliefs.”
The Kindness Campaign will take place from from 3 to 7 p.m. The main focus of this campaign is spreading kindness and love around the community.
A live band will be performing to kick off the event. Afterwards, the Center will be offering free meditation and yoga. Multiple speakers will touch on various topics and Brown hopes to have a large chalkboard that attendees can write kindness goals on.
The organization Trees, Water, People will be in attendance at this event, sharing their mission about conservation and the well-being of natural resources. They will have small trees for purchase that will be planted for replenishment of forests. In addition, everyone that purchases a tree will have the opportunity to write a message on a popsicle stick, and that message will be planted along with the tree.
Other services that are regularly provided by the Geller Center are yoga classes held every Monday at 4 p.m. and a weekly workshop entitled “Food for Thought.”
This workshop is held every Wednesday in their facility at 5:15 p.m. It is primarily centered around sharing experiences authentically and listening intently to the information that is expressed by others. Each week, there is a different topic for discussion. From how to avoid burnout to race and diversity, no topic is off limits for creating a dialogue.
Something unique about the way in which these conversations are started is that they do not begin by simply speaking on one’s knowledge of the matter but rather discussions are developed through the stories of individuals.
Additionally, the Geller Center acts as a bridge between individuals in need and the resources available to them for their spiritual and personal desires. People can come in and receive counseling for a variety of things, meet with someone to talk about hardships they may be going through or simply have an open, one-on-one discussion with another person.
Brown and the rest of the team at the Geller Center are optimistic that it will continue to thrive and be successful in the future. The team has prospects of implementing new programs such as ones that talk about sex in an open and safe environment, as well as the hope of becoming another place where homeless men and women, particularly homosexual couples, can come and take shelter together on warm nights, according to Brown.
With their long history and continued prosperity, it is evident that the Geller Center is thriving and will continue to do so in the future. Their main goal is to be able to continue helping individuals reach their spiritual goals and helping them to do so in a non-violent atmosphere.
Tickets for the Kindness Campaign are $5 online and will also be sold at the doors of the event. With this fee comes access to all of the services that will be provided at the campaign event.
