Wopida Group Partners With - All Welcoming Adult Care - Open House Advent 2015

 

Friday Afternoon, Dec 4, we held our first Open House at AWAC, with the intention of inviting elders and leaders in healing through the power of the medicine wheel and the four directions.  Here is my tehanshi Ted 'Shire' Porpoise with Purpose' Harrison I have known since being led back to Minnesota MKP, New Warrior Community in 1995 after working with Lakota elders, to begin participating in NWTA, New Warrior Adventure Trainings here in the Prairie Lakes Region, Minnesota and Sioux City Communities.  Next to Ted is the CEO, Farhiya Farah of AWAC, who founded the Care Center with her family in 2010, to serve the Somali Elders in South Minneapolis.  At the table is, Deborah Aurianivar, skilled Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, L.Ac., MaOM, and Linda Rose, newly arrived to Minnesota  health coach, and student to D/Lakota ceremonial traditions.

 Andrea, a new young grandma, at the back table provides marketing materials for AWAC, and arrived before Ted and Deborah came for Kenyan tea around 1:30, the first to arrive for the Open House, and began a conversation with Farhiya about their visions as healers of the traditions of social work (Ted) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (Deborah)

 

Here are the two "shires"  Berhan Shire and Ted "Shire" Harrison with some of Farhiya and Mulki's relatives sharing some of the food and snacks  provided.  

 Mark T Scannell, A friend of mine I met over 20 years ago, is the author of a new book about Gratitude and the Serenity Prayer who is well connected to the liberal Catholic Faith Community and educators, in South Minneapolis, chats with Jamie Wellik, a property management friend who introduced me, and Wopida Group to Farhiya in Mid Novemeber, at the Swedish Institute - Jamie is a active leader in the Central Plains

  The energy in the room shifted when Father Christmas arrived, in the presence of Randy Lee Peck, my friend who worked at Carleton College as an advocate for earth center traditions for many years, and now represents the multicultural presents of Father Christmas, mostly in the Scandinavian Finnish style.  Her he is with one of Farhiya and Mulki's family as she shared her experience of Father Christmas being raised in Kenya.


 Randy with his staff, talking with the Somali men and elders who come to AWAC for afternoon prayers.

 Mulki, Farhiya with Cris Anderson, fiddler and marriage cultural consultant listening to a poetic Somali wedding ceremony on a smart phone.

 Cris, playing a Norwegian shottish (sp) for the three Somali Women

 Farhiya , Mark, Linda Rose, Father Christmas Randy with Mulki in back of 5 of the Somali elders who arrived for prayer.

 One of Farhiya's malawa, a crepe that was served for food.  My first time having a Somali Homemade crepe!

 My favorite image summarizing the multicultural vision of AWAC with me, the business development Weaver, consultant, Frahiya the CEO and co founder of AWAC, Father Christmas Randy Peck and Cris Anderson, a local storyteller, networker with Kairos Dance, founded by his wife..

Farhiya and Randy Father Christmas with author and long time South Minneapolis resident, Mark Scannell.