The History of our Women’s Retreat?
This retreat is built on a long history of the association of women and the development
of their fellowship built through their shared recovery. The idea of the 1111
Women’s Book Study Retreat started during covid when Joann H. started a weekly
ZOOM Book Study as a way for women to continue to meet other women and explore
their recovery through books. This Book Study still exists today!
Joann realized back in 2022 that some of the women in the group had never met and
only knew each other through ZOOM and yet had developed such a rich fellowship. She
thought how amazing it would be if they could meet in person. So, she along with
several other women, started the 1111 Women’s Book Study Retreat. Joann recognized that her own recovery was nurtured and developed by other significant women who helped open and walk with her on the path of recovery. She wanted to commemorate
the legacy of service to women in recovery to her good friend, Rusty D. Along
with sponsoring hundreds of women, Rusty had been instrumental in bringing an
International Women’s Conference to Phoenix and found other AZ women
retreats through her many years. All for the fellowship of women in recovery. And here
we are 5 years later!
Who we are
You might be asking why is this is called the 1111 Women’s Retreat?
Another woman who had significantly impacted Joann’s recovery was her sponsor, Linda
S. As she was nearing the end of her life, she said to Joann:
“I love it when the clock lines up at 1111 because things are lining up and all
is right in the world, as they should be.”
Joann thought this to be an unusual thing to say at the end of life but felt it represented
a person being tuned in for a miracle and having faith in a power greater than herself.
Today, whenever 1111 appears, she is reminded of Linda and that “all is as it should
be”.
