A flowery fundraiser is once again helping Shuswap survivors heal, bond and empower each other.

U Grow Girl is a flower farm in Salmon Arm that plants with a purpose, selling high quality flowers to fund the Time to Heal retreat that allows survivors of child sexual abuse to gather together in a safe place.

The flower farm has been in operation for four years, raising funds and accepting donations from community contributors.

The farm recently announced it has raised over $60,000 to allow survivors to attend the retreat free of charge.

Founded by Leha Marshall and Crystal Wood, both survivors themselves, the retreat is celebrating its second year bringing together survivors, support team members, holistic and therapeutic practitioners and a clinical supervisor, as well as a neuroscientist. The retreat itself lasts five days and offers over 40 hours of community building and trauma-informed education, reads a U Grow Girl news release.

鈥淵our support is not just a contribution; it鈥檚 a lifeline for survivors seeking healing, hope and a brighter future,鈥� said the U Grow Girl co-founders.

鈥淚 left the retreat a much different person than the one that arrived, not that you could tell from the outside but from how I felt on the inside,鈥� shared a survivor who attended the first retreat.

鈥淚 left with such peace and knowing that those scary parts of myself could be touched in a way that didn鈥檛 re-traumatize me. Among my fellow attendees I found my new sisters.鈥�

This year鈥檚 retreat will take place Nov. 15-19. For more information, visit U Grow Girl鈥檚 website or follow them on social media.

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