Pagosa Springs Rotary Club
This is an article from July 18, 2019, when Casey Lynn Crow and Paula Jo Miller spoke 'live' to our Rotary Club!! The Pagosa Springs Rotary Club is proud to be a part of this on-going humanitarian and educational effort!!!
Casey Crow is the president of this non-profit Pagosa Springs based organization that is comprised of several talented individuals who share the same goal of helping those who are in post conflict situations using non-verbal arts therapy and creative expression. Casey is also the owner/director of Pagosa Dance Academy.
Casey told us that her dream of Beyond Words began seven years ago when she first witnessed the impact of movement-based therapy on young student in Kisumu, Kenya. Most of these children were physically disabled, displaced from their home countries, or survivors of sexual violence yet found a visible transformational release through dance and movement.
Casey initiated a dance therapy program in Sounio Refugee Camp in Greece in 2016. Casey states that art-based nonverbal therapy is an incredible tool for healing in humanitarian context. She has witnessed the transformation that is possible when individuals are empowered to tell their story whether through art, movement or music in a safe supportive environment.
Beyond Words staff includes Casey, Paula Jo Miller who was present today. She is a contemporary abstract artist, Kelly Ziemer who is a licensed social worker trained in cognitive behavior therapy. Mary Jo Meerdink who is a clinical psychologist, therapist and executive leadership coach. Leslie Santee who is a video producer that has traveled around the world documenting humanitarian crisis. Lastly Addie Thompson who is a local graduate of Pagosa Springs High school. She is at Colby College in Maine majoring in global studies with emphasis on human rights and art.
Casey stated that Beyond Words is planning an Art Camp integrated with some therapy in Pagosa next spring break for local children. Paula Jo and several local artisans will visit a Syrian refugee camp in Greece this summer to offer a variety of healing arts to refugee children. In 2020 Beyond Words plan to visit an immigrant detention center at the US border to offer support to children in crisis.
It is remarkable what an impact that this professional group of women based in Pagosa Springs is having in the US and abroad through helping people deal with unimaginable humanitarian crises. You can learn more about Beyond Words International at bwintl.org.