Day 1
Various Times
Mary's Pence staff and volunteers will pick you up at the airport and transport you to the venue. Specific pick-up details will be sent to each individual separately.
For Early Arrivals
If you arrive early in the day, you are more than welcome to visit the nearby Mall of America or explore the Twin Cities.
There is also the option to lunch and relax at the Rodriguez Home. Erin, her family, and Peaches the Pekingese look forward to welcoming you, Open House-style. There are spaces to rest and to enjoy outdoors. Please RSVP to Erin or Anna by June 9th, if you plan to attend.
3:30pm
Mary's Pence Staff and Volunteers
Location: Mount Olivet Conference and Retreat Center
5:00pm
Erin Williams Rodriguez, Certified Story Stitch Facilitator
Location: Trillium Dining Room
Story Stitch is a guided card activity that connects and builds empathy between people of different cultural backgrounds through the art of storytelling. Story Stitch was co-created by Green Card Voices staff alongside 70 community members to build deep connections between immigrants and their neighbors by telling stories, opening minds, and encouraging people to get to know one another. Initially designed to foster deeper conversation and generate a breakthrough on how immigrants are perceived, treated, and accepted, it has since evolved to fit the needs of the communities that need it.
Learn more here.
6:30pm
Location: Trillium Dining Room
8:00pm
Location: Patio Fireplace
10:00pm
Day 2
8:00am
Location: Trillium Dining Room
9:00am
Emily Monroe, Executive Director, Mary's Pence
Erin Williams Rodriguez, Grants Program Manager, Mary's Pence
Location: Chapel
9:30am
Caylee Martinez*, Founder, Kind Hearted Women Society
Jada Steidley*, Member, Kind Hearted Women Society
Tarah White Eagle*, Chief Operating Officer, Wambli Ska Society
Location: Chapel
Preparing our space, our minds, and our hearts for the next several days. Caylee, Jada, and Tarah will smudge with sage, guide prayers and blessings, and lead a healing jingle dress dance. Cultural history and context of these practices will be taught, and we learn more about the work of Kind Hearted Women Society and Wambli Ska Society
*Member of Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
10:30am
All attendees and guests
Location: Chapel
11:00am
Jasmine Brett Stringer, M.P.P., CEO, Carpe Diem by Jasmine
Location: Chapel, Streamed
The cultural mantra that women can and should “have it all” has shaped an entire generation’s approach to work, family, and success. But the hidden toll is showing up in skyrocketing rates of burnout, stress-related illness, and emotional depletion, especially among women of color.
In this new playbook for women’s well-being in the age of overwhelm, Jasmine introduces the R.E.S.T. framework, a culturally grounded, evidence-based solution for women navigating the unsustainable demands of modern life.
12:30pm
Location: Trillium Dining Room
1:45pm
Erin Williams Rodriguez and Brianna Olson-Carr
Location: Chapel
An elevator pitch is your short (30-60 second) professional introduction. Your elevator pitch communicates your brand, your unique perspective and/or solutions, and answers questions about who you are, what you do, and what you want to do next. A prepared elevator pitch will help you start a conversation with potential and existing supporters, funders, board members, legislators, fellow movement builders, and community members.
Workshop participants will be led through a framework to begin an elevator pitch. Then, they will work together in small groups to refine their pitches so they are clear, concise, and impactful. At the end, all participants will give their elevator pitches to the full group.
3:00pm
3:15pm
Erin Williams Rodriguez, Grants Program Manager, Mary's Pence
Brianna Olson-Carr, Development Manager, Mary's Pence
Location: Chapel
5:15pm
5:30pm
Producer: Atlanta Doula Collective, Inc.
Director and Executive Producer: Sekesa Berry
Editor: Spurgen Brown
Film Sponsor: American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact
Location: Chapel
A powerful documentary produced by the Atlanta Doula Collective, that delves into the rich history and resurgence of Black Doula care in Atlanta, Georgia. Through personal stories, this documentary explores how these doulas guide the families they serve through hospital systems shaped by implicit bias. The film highlights the deep cultural roots of Black birthwork, tracing its lineage to the traditions of African American midwives who have been central to community health and childbirth for generations. It also celebrates the efforts of modern Black Doulas who are reclaiming this legacy, advocating for holistic, culturally-affirming care, and helping to address the maternal mortality crisis disproportionately affecting Black women today.
The film serves as both an educational tool, identifying the vital role of doulas, and a call to action to support them in their mission to restore agency and empowerment in childbirth.
6:30pm
Location: Trillium Dining Room
8:00 pm
Location: Lower Level, Ruth Cornell House
Reserved 90 minutes of pool time for Grantee Gathering attendees only. Private pool time ends at 9:30 pm.
10:00pm
Quiet Hours Begin
Day 3
8:00am
Breakfast
Location: Trillium Dining Room
9:00am
BreathLogic
Laurie Ellis-Young
Location: Chapel and Grounds
Inspired by the book Breath is Life by Laurie Ellis-Young with Dr. George T. Ellis, this experiential session will cover "Breath Literacy" and specific breathing methods.
"Breath Literacy" is the wisdom and knowledge of how to breathe optimally moment by moment, breath by breath, and in various circumstances all throughout life. With the knowledge and power of Breath Literacy, we are able to:
literally change our brains
manage our nervous systems
strengthen our immune systems
build resiliency for the ups and downs of life
Going beyond Breath Literacy, we will learn BreathLogic's 5-E model breathing methods:
Easy (simple, fast, powerful)
Economical (free to everyone)
Efficient (anytime, anywhere)
Evidence-based (scientifically proven)
Effective (immediate results)
10:30am
Break
11:00am
Financial Management & Budgeting
Nadine Sehnert
Location: Chapel
12:15pm
Break
12:30pm
Lunch
Location: Trillium Dining Room
1:45pm
Teambuilding & Operations Management
John A. Rodriguez, M.B.A.
Location: Chapel
2:45pm
Break
3:00pm
ESPERA: A Collaborative Model for Women's Empowerment
Mabel Martínez Arriaga, Mary's Pence ESPERA Program Lead
Location: Chapel
4:00 pm
Art, Healing, and the Collective Resistence Reflection
Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Founder, Sacramento Poderosas
Mary Stokke Vides, Board Member, Sacramento Poderosas
Elvira Alonso, Member, Sacramento Posderosas
Assisted by Mary's Pence Staff
Location: Chapel, Streamed
In this workshop, you will explore ways to use your art and creative expression to speak truth, honor your community, and make visible the stories that shape our collective future. During the first part of the workshop, Sacramento Poderosas invites you to create an image that reflects your story, your power, and your vision. Prompts and examples will be provided, although there is no right or wrong way to respond. Use symbols, words, colors, and images inspired by your culture, your community, your lived experience, or your dreams for the future. This is your space to be seen and heard.
4:30pm
Break
4:45pm
Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood: ACTT Workshop
Dr. Leslie Farrington, Founder, Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood
Location: Chapel, Streamed
The ACTT Curriculum was created by Black women for Black birthing people. Nurses, obstetricians, midwives, doulas, and community members have collaborated to create a powerful healthcare advocacy toolkit that anyone in the community can use to improve the pregnancy, birth, and post-birth outcomes of Black families.
It is your right to have healthcare that protects and serves you and your family. Ask questions, Claim your space, Trust your body, and Tell your story to take control of your health and well-being.
6:00pm
Break
6:30pm
Dinner
Location: Trillium Dining Room
8:00pm
Location: Lower Level, Ruth Cornell House
Reserved 90 minutes of pool time for Grantee Gathering attendees only. Private pool time ends at 9:30 pm.
10:00pm
Quiet Hours Begin
Day 4
8:00am
Breakfast
Location: Trillium Dining Room
9:00am
Gather belongings, place in vehicles, and check out
9:45 am
Break
10:00 am
Grantee Presentation TBD
10:45am
Art, Healing, and the Collective Resistance
Location: Chapel, Streamed
Rhonda Rios Kravitz, Founder, Sacramento Poderosas
Mary Stokke Vides, Board Member, Sacramento Poderosas
Elvira Alonso, Member, Sacramento Poderosas
The Sacramento Poderosas utilize art as a form of activism, transforming walls into spaces of resistance, healing, and cultural affirmation. As a women-led, community-driven collective, they preserve Xicanx, Latinx and Indigenous herstories through workshops, storytelling, and collaborative mural-making. They use community spaces to construct and display compelling positive images, thereby engaging the broader community.
Their work focuses on increasing advocacy for their communities, and expressing contemporary civil rights, including farmworker rights, immigrant rights, the rights of missing Indigenous women, trans and LGBTQ rights, housing rights, and educational equity. In this workshop, you will explore ways to use your art and creative expression to speak truth, honor your community, and make visible the stories that shape our collective future.
12:00pm
Closing Reflections
Emily Monroe, Executive Director, Mary's Pence
Erin Williams Rodriguez, Grants Program Manager, Mary's Pence
Location: Outside, weather permitting
12:30pm
Sack Lunches to Go, Head to Airport or Train Station
Mary's Pence volunteers and staff will transport attendees to Minneapolis - Saint Paul International airport or Union Depot.