Cultivating Compassion Education Series December Gatherings

 

Cultivating Compassion Education Series December Gatherings It’s Our Second Live Stream New York Tour! Christmas in the Big Apple! with Luke Miller of Real New York Tours Friday, December 19, 2025 5:00 p.m. ET Join us for a live stream virtual Christmas Tour of NYC. Experience all the magic of Christmas in New York from the comfort of your own home. We'll learn about the origins of Christmas and Santa Clause as we take in the sites. All faiths and holiday traditions are welcome. Sites include Central Park's Wollman Rink, The Plaza Hotel, 5th avenue holiday windows, Bergdorf Goodmans, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Saint Patrick's Cathedral and Radio City Music Hall. Luke is a lifelong New Yorker who has built his love of the city into a thriving tour business over the last 20 years. To learn more, click here (https://youtu.be/-a3QB47q9po) or visit his website, RealNewYorkTours.com Much thanks to Luke and Real New York Tours for donating this program to the CCALS community! Register Monthly Gatherings   Beyond ALS December 4 6:30pm ET Join a welcoming group of men and women who have lost a loved one to ALS. Share openly with others who are rebuilding their lives after profound loss. This interactive gathering will highlight where we are now and what may feel different: our identity, our values, our approach to spirituality, and more. We will listen deeply to each other’s stories about the new experiences of building relationships, contentment with solitude, or challenges as a single parent. But, most importantly, come to enjoy and appreciate the company of others who have come to experience the precious nature of human life. Beginning in December and continuing through 2026, Beyond ALS will meet the FIRST Thursday of each month at 6:30pm ET.  NEW REGISTRATION LINK! (will remain for 2026) Register   Trauma Healing December 10 7:00pm ET Our own Trauma & Spiritual Care Liaison, Julie Yau, Ph.D., SEP, will be hosting a monthly gathering for our community focused on trauma awareness and healing. CCALS has long recognized how traumatic an ALS diagnosis is, and the continuing challenges and trauma that can arise while living with ALS. Dr. Julie is a renowned trauma specialist and author of the powerful trauma healing book, "The Body Awareness Workbook for Trauma." She is a dear friend and colleague of CCALS founder, Ron Hoffman, and has been supporting our families for nearly 20 years. To participate in this group, we are asking for a commitment of at least three months, and the purchase and reading of Dr. Julie's book. Please contact james@ccals.org if you are interested in participating. Email to join   Caregiver to Caregiver December 11 3:00pm ET Join the informal gathering designed to offer genuine support for those engaged in ALS caregiving. Enjoy the opportunity to be with other folks who have an intimate understanding of ALS and share your unique point of view as a caregiver. It is truly a wonderful experience to sit in council with ALS caregivers, to practice heart-centered listening, bear witness to our journeys and those of others, and to support and be supported without judgment. Register   Sons and Daughters of ALS Guided by Ron Hoffman, CCALS Founder December 11 7:00pm ET Sons and Daughters of ALS, hosted by CCALS Founder and Director, Ron Hoffman, is designed for those 18 years to 30- somethings who have experienced a parent, or close loved one, struggling from symptoms, diagnosis, decline or death with ALS. Growing up with the intensity and complexity of ALS in our family can shake us to the very core. It is often hard to comprehend or describe the ways that this disease shapes our past, present and future. If you are living with, or have lived with, the impact of a parent with ALS, you are invited to join our zoom gathering for Sons and Daughters of ALS. With deep listening, in the company of others who know the similarity of the uninvited path of having a parent with ALS, we will gather in council to share our experiences with the broad motivation to bring heartfelt connection, awareness and healing. Register   Songs of Hope and Healing The Joy of Music and Giving December 17 4:00pm ET This month we will explore the idea of giving as it relates to the holiday season. When we give of ourselves, we also receive. This can be seen as a blessing circuit, which gains power and momentum the more it is reciprocated. Music resonates, and we receive the beauty of it through the reciprocal process of music making, voice and instrument, and the amazing acoustics of our inner and outer ears. What joy to receive the gift of sound, and to return the gift with smiles and gratitude, and by sharing the music that touches and moves us in the season of giving. Hosted by Evy Amato, certified music therapist. Register   Men of ALS Guided by Ron Hoffman, CCALS Founder December 18 2:00pm ET Join us for a time of brotherhood and belonging for men living with ALS, or men caring for someone with the disease. This group operates as a council circle that encourages deep listening, acceptance, and an invitation to be genuine about what is going on in your life. Register   Women of ALS December 18 3:00pm ET Enjoy the connection and unique perspective of other women living with ALS, female caregivers of persons living with ALS, daughters of those with ALS, or any woman touched by the disease. We will gather in council to share our experiences with the broad motivation to bring heartfelt connections and healing to the ALS journey. The Women of ALS gatherings create a safe space to explore the rich feminine perspective on lineage, sexuality, the role as caregiver, and the experience of compassion. Register   Mothers of ALS December 22 1:00pm ET CCALS offers this informal gathering specifically for mothers who have been impacted by ALS. This disease shines a unique and challenging spotlight on the relationships between mothers and their children. We will join with each other in council to listen deeply and bear witness to our experiences as we connect and discover new pathways through the intensity of an ALS experience. Register Contact James@ccals.org with any questions. Share This Email   Share This Email   Share This Email Tax ID # 04-3567819

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Parkinson's Fitness | Ability-based Exercise, Arts and Movement Programs

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December Newsletter & Class Schedule 12/1 - 12/7   Dear Friends:   As we enter the final month of the year, we want to share how very grateful we are for your support and company over the last 12 months. This Tuesday, December 2nd is Giving Tuesday: an initiative created in 2012 to encourage people to do good. Please consider this as a moment to help us fundraise to continue our Parkinson's Fitness programs. Any donation toward our mission is much appreciated!   Click to Donate to Parkinson's Fitness We will be giving our instructors their holiday break for the last two weeks of December. We will not be running in-person classes from December 22 through January 2nd. Our weekly newsletter will have some extra recorded exercise videos for you those weeks.   Thank you!   Linda     In-Person Parkinson's Fitness Classes   This list details our in-person classes, which begin again on Thursday, January 2nd. Click on the underlined address to access a map and directions. Look to the blue box under this section for links to our Zoom and recorded classes.    Mondays at 10am In-Person Strength with Kim at Marblehead Council on Aging, 10 Humphrey Street in Marblehead. To confirm class will be held, please call the COA at 781-631-6225   -------------------   Wednesdays at 11am In-Person Strength with Kim at Marblehead Council on Aging, 10 Humphrey Street in Marblehead. To confirm class will be held, please call the COA at 781-631-6225   -------------------   Thursdays at 11am In-Person Balance in Motion Class with Dianna at MAGMA (Movement Arts Gloucester), 186 Main Street in Gloucester. To confirm class will be held, please call Dianna at 857-488-7880.   -------------------   Thursdays at 1:20pm In-Person Strength with Kim at Salem Council on Aging, 401 Bridge Street in Salem. To confirm class will be held, please call the COA at 978-744-0924.   ------------------- Fridays at 10:30am In-Person Balance and Strength Class with Sally at Lynnfield Council on Aging, 525 Salem Street in Lynnfield. To confirm class will be held, please call the COA at 781-598-1078.   -------------------   Fridays at 1pm In-Person and Also on Zoom Balance in Motion Class with Dianna at Danvers Council on Aging, 25 Stone Street in Danvers. To confirm class will be held, please call the COA at 978-762-0208.  Can't make it in? Join from home with this link: Click Here Meeting ID: 824 0247 5688. Passcode: 12345     Parkinson's Fitness At Home Zoom Classes   Try these live Zoom and pre-taped classes you can do at home. Do what feels best for your body and clear the area around you so your arms and legs can move freely. Drink plenty of water. Click on the Zoom link below.   Tuesday at 1pm Balance in Motion with Dianna on Zoom Click Here Meeting ID: 824 0247 5688 Passcode: 12345   -------------------   Wednesday at 1pm Breathe and Stretch Yoga with Dianna Click Here Meeting ID: 818 8748 2663 Passcode: 12345   -------------------   Friday at 1pm Balance in Motion with Dianna on Zoom Click Here Meeting ID: 824 0247 5688 Passcode: 12345   -------------------   Looking for more workouts? Try one of our recorded class options below.   Click for Dianna’s channel of videos Click for a recorded workout with Kim Click to access Parkinson's Foundation Fitness Friday videos     News, Articles, & More     Webinar: Wednesday, December 10th at 3PM: Pain and Parkinson's Disease Pain is a common non-motor symptom of PD. While it can occur at any stage, it may be most bothersome early in the disease and can be very disruptive to daily life. Please join us as movement disorders neurologist Dr. Jori Fleisher discusses the role pain plays in PD, the different types of pain, and approaches to managing it. Click to Register.     Webinar: Thursday, December 18th at 12PM: Stress and Parkinson's: Strategies to Manage the Strain While some stress is a normal part of life, too much stress for too long can impact physical and emotional health. Stress can even worsen Parkinson’s symptoms and make medication less effective. Join this month’s Michael J. Fox Foundation Third Thursdays Webinar to hear our panel of experts share strategies on responding to stress and limiting its harmful effects. Click to Register.     Article: Brain Imaging for Parkinson's Disease Parkinson’s is typically diagnosed based on clinical exam, but there are imaging tests that are available to help in diagnosis. The most commonly known in the US is the Dopamine Transporter Scan (DaTscan), an imaging test in which a radioactive tracer, Ioflupane (123I) — which is also called DaTscan — is injected into the blood, where it circulates around the body and makes its way into the brain. It attaches itself to the dopamine transporter, a molecule found on dopamine neurons. Several hours after the tracer has been injected, special imaging equipment scans the head to detect the presence of DaTscan. A DaTscan in someone with PD typically shows a smaller signal in a part of the brain called the striatum, where the ends of the dopamine neurons are meant to be. Click to Read More.     Article: Parkinson’s and the Holidays: How to Stay Safe, Independent, and Enjoy the Season The holiday season is a time for fun, family, and celebrations, but for people with Parkinson’s disease, it can also be a time of extra challenges. As the season gets busier and social events ramp up, it’s important to make sure your loved one with Parkinson’s stays safe, independent, and able to enjoy the festivities. Engage PT provides some tips for maintaining routine and safety while preparing for the holidays! Click to Read More.     Article: How People with Parkinson's Can Minimize Risks During Hospital Stays Hospitalization can be stressful and challenging for anyone, but for people living with Parkinson’s disease, a hospital stay can present unique risks. It is important for patients and their loved ones to be prepared for these situations in order to mitigate issues that may arise and have a chance at the best possible outcome. Click to Read More.

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