Can you feel it? There is something in the air here in Appalachia that only September can bring. The mornings are a little crisper, the leaves are just beginning to hint at the color show that is coming, and everything around us seems to be settling into that beautiful, unhurried rhythm that fall does so well. We have always loved this season, and this year, we have more reason than ever to embrace everything it has to offer.

September has been a full and meaningful month here at the New Opportunity School for Women. We took our mission on the road, showed up for our community at Mountain Mischief on September 6th, and cheered alongside our friends at Hope's Wings at the Mountain Moonlight Gala on September 19th. We also had the joy of watching our Outreach Coordinator, Crystal Sizemore, represent NOSW at the September Fest in Louisa, Kentucky, where she connected with so many incredible women across the region. It has been a month of showing up, and we are proud of that.

But if we are being honest, the thing that has our hearts absolutely full right now is what is just around the corner. Our Two-Week Immersive Retreat begins on October 5th, and we are counting down the days. For two weeks, a group of remarkable women will step away from the demands of everyday life and into something that has the potential to change everything for them. We have watched this happen more times than we can count, and it never gets old. Not even close.

As the season shifts and the mountains around us come alive with color, we find ourselves feeling deeply grateful for this work, for this community, and for every single one of you who makes it possible. Thank you for being here. October is going to be something special!

Maggie Risner, June 2025 NOSW Graduate
Event Coordinator & Co-Facilitator
New Opportunity School for Women

Roots
"I was born in Martin, a little town in Floyd County, Kentucky, you'd miss if you blinked. The only girl in 4 children, and a middle child at that.  But my first real memories aren't from there. They're from Michigan, where my parents moved when I was a baby, so my dad could work at the Hoover factory with my papaw. Both sides of my family trace back to the same hollows in Floyd County, but my grandparents had gone north to build a life, and that's where I was raised until I was five.

Those early years were marked by my dad's drinking and the violence that followed him home; flashing lights, late nights packed into cars with strangers, running to stay safe. One of the hardest moments of my childhood was when my mother tricked me into seeing my dad after months of hiding from him, only to learn we were all moving back to Kentucky.

Kentucky meant little to me then; just some family and nights spent in a funeral home saying goodbye to people I barely knew. What I did know was that my dad terrified me, and the people who made me feel safe, my Mamaw and Papaw, were about to be hours away.

We landed in Bear Hollow, Johnson County, in a hundred-year-old shack of a house on six acres with a fireplace for heat and box fans for air. Inside those walls was more heartache than happiness. Outside was a different world. The barn, the garden, the streams; that farmland was my sanctuary. My dad found one of my brothers willing to learn his cruelty, and I watched that same hand turn toward me from a second brother. Nobody in the family seemed to notice, or care. I learned early that my words didn't matter and that speaking them could bring more pain. My mom then became my only safety, and together, mother and daughter suffered in almost the same way..."

The Leaves Are Not the Only Thing Changing

Maggies's story is her own, but the feelings behind it, the longing for something more, the sense that life could look different, belong to so many of us. If reading her words left you thinking, we hope you will lean into that thought rather than let it pass.

Applications for our October Two-Week Immersive Retreat are now closed, but it is never too early to start thinking about June 2027! Applications for our next Two-Week Residential Session will be opening before you know it, and we want you to be ready. In the meantime, our Three-Day Non-Residential Sessions remain open and are a wonderful place to take that first step toward something new.

We want to gently challenge you. Think of three women in your life, eighteen or older, who might be ready for something more, and forward this their way. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for someone we love is simply let them know that something like this exists.

Remaining Dates for this Year's Three-Day Non-Residential Sessions:

Click the button below to apply today, or visit the "What We Do" tab on our website to learn more about everything we have to offer! 

The Appalachian Sisterhood: The Power of Transformation

Maggie's story is just one of many. Inside every issue of our quarterly magazine, real women from across Kentucky and Appalachia tell their stories in their own words, unfiltered, unpolished, and unforgettable. These are not fairy tales. They are accounts of real lives, real struggles, and real change, and they deserve to be read by as many people as possible.

So here is our ask. Think of someone in your life who would be moved by what they read here. A friend who loves a good story. A neighbor who needs a reminder that change is possible. A sister, a coworker, a woman in your circle who might not even know she needs this yet. Forward this email their way and let the stories do the rest.

The more people who find their way to these pages, the louder these women's voices become. And that is something worth sharing.

Mountain Moonlight Gala | Hope's Wings Domestic Violence Program

Pictured Left to Right, Top Row: Lindsay Sebastian (Program and Operations Intern), Maggie Risner (Events Coordinator & Co-Facilitator), Sara Sharpe (Communications Coordinator)
Bottom Row: Crystal Burton (Program Director), Angel Short (Executive Director)
Not Pictured: Susan Jordison (Operations Manager), Kristi Worley (Editor-in-Chief), Crysal Sizemore (Outreach Coordinator)

On the evening of September 19th, the NOSW staff had the privilege of being welcomed as guests to the Mountain Moonlight Gala, hosted by our friends and partners at Hope's Wings Domestic Violence Program. It was a truly beautiful evening at Churchill in Berea, filled with incredible food, wonderful music, and a room full of people who share a deep commitment to serving and uplifting those who need it most.

Evenings like this one serve as a powerful reminder of why community partnerships matter so much. Hope's Wings does extraordinary work every single day for survivors of domestic violence right here in our region, and we are so honored to stand alongside them in that mission. Supporting the work of organizations like Hope's Wings is something we take seriously, and being in that room on September 19th was both a privilege and an inspiration.

If you are not yet familiar with Hope's Wings and the life-changing services they provide, we encourage you to learn more. Click the button below to visit their website and discover how you can support their mission!

Appalachian Mountain Mischief Festival | September 6, 2026

Well, we went and did it, and what a day it was! The Appalachian Mountain Mischief Festival came to life on Labor Day Weekend at Seven Lakes Paylake in Waco, and what fun we had! We discovered some impressive dad bods, rolled out watching food-eating contestants balance grub and air, and listened as some fierce competitors battled it out with their best hen hollerin'!

To everyone who came out to support NOSW, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Y'all make this work possible, and we are so grateful for every single one of you!

Winner of the Dad Bod Competition, Terry Thurman

Winner of the Hen Holler Competition, Mary Kohn

September Fest | Louisa, Kentucky | September 11-12, 2026

On September 11th and 12th, our Outreach Coordinator, Crystal Sizemore, made her way to Louisa, Kentucky to represent NOSW at the annual September Fest! It was a beautiful fall weekend in Lawrence County, and the community there welcomed her with open arms.

Over two days, Crystal had meaningful conversations with so many incredible women, distributed 100 informational bags with gifts to women, and came home with a growing list of women who are curious about what NOSW has to offer. She also had the opportunity to connect with potential community partners who share our heart for serving women in the region.

More than anything, it was the conversations that made the weekend so special. Crystal had the privilege of sitting with women from all walks of life, listening to their hopes and dreams, and letting them know that there is a place for them at NOSW. That is the heart of what we do, and moments like those remind us of just how far this mission can reach.

Thank you, Louisa. We loved every minute of it!

Autumn's Invitation: The Science of Forest Bathing

As the leaves begin to turn and the air takes on that first crisp hint of autumn, we want to invite you to do something simple, something ancient, and something that science is increasingly backing up with some pretty compelling data. We want you to go outside and just... be in the trees.

In Japan, this practice has a name. It is called Shinrin-yoku, which translates loosely to forest bathing, and it has been a cornerstone of Japanese preventive healthcare since the 1980s. Before you picture anything involving an actual bathtub, let us clarify. Forest bathing has nothing to do with water and everything to do with presence. It simply means spending intentional, unhurried time among trees, breathing the air, taking in the sights and sounds, and allowing your nervous system to do what it does naturally when you give it a little peace and quiet.

And the science? It is genuinely remarkable.

It lowers your stress hormones. Multiple studies have found that spending time in forested environments significantly reduces cortisol levels, your body's primary stress hormone, compared to time spent in urban settings. Even a short walk among trees can produce measurable changes.

It brings your blood pressure down. Research consistently shows that forest environments lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reducing strain on the heart and cardiovascular system in ways that a walk through a city simply does not replicate.

It boosts your immune system. Trees release natural compounds called phytoncides into the air around them. When we breathe these in, our bodies respond by increasing the activity of natural killer cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in fighting illness and even cancer cells.

It lifts your mood. Studies have documented significant reductions in feelings of anxiety, depression, and fatigue following time spent in natural forest settings, with corresponding increases in feelings of vitality and positive emotion.

It sharpens your focus. Attention Restoration Theory suggests that natural environments give our brains a chance to recover from the mental fatigue of modern life, restoring our ability to concentrate and think clearly.

The beautiful thing about forest bathing is that it requires absolutely nothing of you except your presence. You do not need to hike a mountain or cover any particular distance. You simply need to step outside, find some trees, slow down, and let nature do what it has always done. Leave your phone in your pocket. Take your shoes off if the ground calls to you. Breathe deeply. Look up.

Fall is one of the most breathtaking times of year to be outside in Appalachia, and the trees around us will soon be putting on a spectacular show!  So, over the next month, we simply want to encourage you. Find your trees. Spend some time with them. And let yourself be restored.

References
Li, Q. (2010). Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-008-0068-3
Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): Evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 18-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9
Twohig-Bennett, C., & Jones, A. (2018). The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. Environmental Research, 166, 628-637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.030
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. Cambridge University Press.

Be a Part of Something Transformational

Our October Two-Week Immersive Retreat begins on October 5th, and we are looking for sponsors who want to make a real and lasting difference in the life of a woman right here in Appalachia. Sponsorship is one of the most direct and meaningful ways to invest in this mission, and every dollar goes straight to the women who need it most.

Here is how your generosity can make an impact:

As a sponsor, you will be invited to our residential graduation ceremony and recognized on our sponsorship page. There is nothing quite like watching a woman cross that stage knowing you helped get her there.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or would like more information, please reach out to Angel Short at ashort@nosw.org
or by phone at (859) 985-7200.
We would love to have you with us!

To view a full calendar of our 2026 schedule and events, please visit www.nosw.org/calendar/