Traveling postcards bring healing to survivors Published Sept. 24, 2015 By Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- "You are not alone," a participant reads. "We're here with you." Encouraging phrases of compassion and solidarity were echoed during a healing arts workshop at the Airman and Family Readiness Center, here Sept. 21-22. In an effort to emphasize the Air Force's commitment to eliminate sexual assault through victim advocacy and response, more than 20 Grissom Airmen, local, state and national therapists handcrafted traveling postcards with phrases of empowerment and hope for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. "This is a first for the Grissom community" said Amy Little, 434th Air Refueling Wing sexual assault and response coordinator and social worker. "Coming together to create postcards for survivors gives those who want to help an opportunity to enact positive change and healing." Hosted by traveling postcards founder Caroline Lovell, the workshop fuses transformative arts in an environment designed to foster resiliency through creative expression and experiences without censorship. "The purpose of traveling postcard workshops is to create both healing for survivors and an opportunity [for attendees] to discuss a difficult topic and share their personal experiences of survival," Lovell said. "Even if sexual assault or domestic violence is something you've never talked about or experienced before, doing something as small as making a postcard for an anonymous survivor can create a connection." Lovell said she originally started the workshop after traveling to Africa where she discovered a collective occurrence when people gather and create with their hands. "The idea of traveling postcards is the same as the idea of an old fashioned sewing circle," Lovell said. "I have found that when people gather and they feel safe, their hearts are open. When people talk from their heart they have incredible wisdom to share." Many attendees, including Karen Smith, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, sexual assault response coordinator, originally attended the workshop with the intentions of empowering others; but what she gained out of the experience was more personal. "Originally, I came looking for innovative ways to help people heal," Smith said. "As a cancer survivor, I can attest to the power of receiving a hand-made gift; after beating cancer I received a quilt and the creativity and thought that went into the quilt was extremely personal and healing for me." Postcards created during the workshop will be on display during the October unit training assembly. "We all have moments we can connect with other people - even if they're anonymous and we never see them," Little said. "The beauty of creating these cards is that we might not know who they're going to - but they will go to a survivor." Traveling postcard workshops will be offered quarterly for Grissom Airmen in the near future. For more information about the workshops, contact Little. The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135 Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the globe in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
