Art and Nature programming for the fastest-growing Veteran Demographic

Finding Her Voice: Brushwood’s Programs for Women Veterans

By Megan Donahue, with Angela Walker

Angela Walker knows Brushwood’s At Ease program like the back of her hand—Brushwood Center is not just a place for her, it’s her passion. But even leaders like Angela can be caught off guard, and that’s exactly what happened during a Nature, Art, and Wellness Day for Women Veterans.

These special events at Brushwood are a chance for women Veterans and their families to relax, recharge, and enjoy the serene beauty of Ryerson Woods. The day is packed with calming activities like yoga, forest bathing, and creative art workshops. But when Angela sat down for a writing exercise that day, she wasn’t thrilled.

“Write about my feelings? Nope,” Angela said. “We can paint, we can do yoga, we can even sing—but write about what happened in the military? Hard pass.”

She planned just to sit there quietly and let the others write. But something shifted.

“I ended up writing so much, I shocked myself!” Angela said. “It was like my voice came pouring out— I didn’t even know I had so much to say that was bottled up inside me. All it took was the right question and the right space. I started writing, and I didn’t want to stop. I’m still writing today!”

The Fastest-Growing Veteran Demographic

Women Veterans are the fastest-growing group of Veterans. Between the 2020 and 2023 fiscal years, the percentage of women Veterans increased from 6.3% to 11.3%. There are 2.1 million women Veterans in the United States.

Jes Klinge, an Army Reservist and Brushwood’s Veteran Programs Specialist, joined the military at the age of 17. With over two decades of service, she brings a depth of knowledge about military culture to her work at Brushwood. Since her arrival to Brushwood in 2020, the At Ease initiative has expanded significantly, especially offerings for women Veterans.

Jes is quick to avoid painting with a broad brush. “I think Veterans are like everybody else. Everybody really needs different ways to cope with mental health,” she says. Still, she notes, women Veterans do often have some things in common.

Feeling overlooked in the Veterans space is common, as is dealing with Military Sexual Trauma (MST). “Military Sexual Trauma is a really big problem in the women Veterans space,” Jes says. “I feel like a lot of these issues aren’t really talked about as much.”

U.S. Army Veteran and artist Ramona Pozek agrees. “I think that whenever people are coming up with programs, or if they want to do something for Veterans, they’re always thinking about the guys,” she says. She recalls people in the past assuming her male partner was the Veteran in the relationship, when she’s the one who served, and receiving care packages that were clearly intended for male service members.

“We love our country, and we are really proud of serving. We’re not looking for a whole lot. [But] if you’ve got something for the guys, then have something for us, too,” she says.

Research demonstrates that women Veterans face unique challenges throughout their service, and especially upon transitioning from the military into civilian life. The Military Times reported in 2019 that women Veterans report difficulties with feeling invisible when leaving the service, and face a lack of peer support, feeling unaccepted by civilian women, and struggling to find supportive peer groups.

The Wounded Warrior Project has found that women warriors experience MST, anxiety, and depression at higher rates than male warriors. 80% of women warriors scored as lonely based on the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale. 61% of women warriors experienced symptoms of anxiety.

These unique challenges have led At Ease to develop specific programs for women Veterans. Each month, women Veterans meet online for a watercolor painting class, and an art social hour, an opportunity to work independently on art projects and build camaraderie with other women Veterans. Nature, Art, and Wellness Days are becoming a highlight for this growing Brushwood community.

Dedicated women’s programming lines up with anecdotal findings from the Wounded Warrior Project, which found that outcomes were more successful and women Veterans felt more supported when they were able to connect with advocates or organizations.

That’s certainly been Angela’s experience.

From Darkness to Creativity

Angela’s journey with Brushwood began at a tough time in her life. She had been discharged from the Navy due to medical reasons, leaving behind her dream of a long military career. Health challenges, along with depression and PTSD, made life feel heavy.

To make matters worse, Angela, a professional singer, lost her voice for a time due to her health issues.“Losing my ability to sing was devastating. Singing had always been my outlet, and I didn’t know if I’d ever get it back.”

When her voice returned, Angela eventually began volunteering, singing to patients at the VA hospital and taking part in an art therapy program. Her involvement led her to Brushwood, where she performed at a 2015 awards dinner honoring Robert and Sibylle Szaggars Redford. From that moment, she was “hooked on Brushwood.”

“What pulled me out of that dark space was my faith in God and Brushwood,” Angela said. “The people at Brushwood cared about me. They cared about Veterans. And they invited me to use my voice to help figure out how to support others like me.”

Learn More about At Ease

A version of this article originally appeared in Thrive, Brushwood Center’s seasonal print newsletter.

Robin Wall Kimmerer Launches community Action

Plant, Baby, Plant!

On Sunday, October 12, a crowd gathered at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods to launch the first community activation of Plant, Baby, Plant. The new nationwide grassroots campaign is led by author and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, who was recently awarded the Smith Nature Symposium Environmental Leadership Award by Brushwood Center.

The outdoor celebration invited participants of all ages to join in art-making, music, and collective care for the land. Plant, Baby, Plant is a grassroots movement of people taking meaningful, regenerative action to care for the Earth—in the garden and in the streets. Together, they aim to:

Heal Land: plant trees, raise gardens, restore prairies, protect wetlands.
Build Community: support and widen the circle of people who work with the land.
Grow Power: transform love of land into social change through creative resistance.

The event featured opening remarks from Kimmerer, collaborative outdoor art led by Osage artist Lydia Cheshewalla, and live music by Elexa Dawson. The event marked the inaugural in-person gathering of Plant, Baby, Plant, the first in a series of community activations that will bloom wherever Robin visits, turning inspiration into action.

“Together, we can spark a grassroots movement to heal land, build community, and transform love of land into social change. Not only will we plant trees and food and wildflower meadows, but we will plant our feet and say ‘no more destruction’. We will plant a flag, to claim that this is what good citizens do on behalf of Mother Earth,” said Kimmerer.

Photos by Michael Kardas Photography

Brushwood’s Impact in 2025

Flourishing Together: Ashley’s Brushwood Story

Ashley Cullen-Williams first came to Brushwood when she worked as TRiO Educational Talent Search manager in Waukegan. She was looking for a safe place for staff and students to relax and connect after the pandemic. Little did she know that she was stepping into a new chapter, one that culminated in her becoming Brushwood Center’s Senior Program Director.

The following film shares Ashley’s story, and highlights Brushwood’s impact through her unique perspective. This video, created by our videographer in residence, Kateryna Sazonova, debuted at the 2025 Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner, and we wanted to share it with our entire community. Watch Ashley’s Brushwood journey from participant, to partner, to director!

The latest news from Brushwood’s ensemble-in-residence

Black Moon Trio

Convergence. Water(color) for the Soul. Brushwood Center’s Ensemble-in-Residence, Black Moon Trio is a vital partner in some of our most popular programming.

Black Moon Trio is a horn, violin, and piano ensemble redefining the chamber music experience through adventurous programming, community-centered education, and a commitment to equity in the arts. By engaging with diverse audiences, youth, and artists of every type, Black Moon Trio works to prove that classical music is for everyone.

Parker Nelson is the French horn player for Black Moon Trio, and the Director of Public Programs and Music at Brushwood Center. “Convergence offered a really unique opportunity for me flex the artistic side of what Brushwood’s mission is: to do work at the intersection of wellness, the arts and nature,” he says. He thinks this integration of the arts into health equity work is ” Kind of our special sauce, this unique combination of things that we’re able to provide here at Brushwood Center. Because of the staff that we have and because of the connections that we have, we’re able to tell these really unique stories and kind of get to this type of storytelling that only Brushwood Center can provide.”

Black Moon Trio plays at Brushwood Center

October is a busy month for the Trio. They are preparing to launch their latest album, Flourish, a collaboration featuring author Robin Wall Kimmerer, inspired by her writings. Influenced by Kimmerer’s work as a scientist and Indigenous knowledge keeper, Flourish embraces nature not as something to be conquered or consumed, but as a living, breathing partner, whose wisdom is available to those who take the time to listen. Kimmerer’s insights, expressed through her reflective and poetic voice, guide listeners to see the land as a giver: one that offers more than sustenance, but also lessons of gratitude, respect, and care. The album will be released on October 17, 2025.

Black Moon Trio will perform Convergence: Health Equity in a Changing Climate at the Ear Taxi Festival in Chicago on October 8th at Elastic Arts.

The Trio has also launched a For Your Consideration campaign for this year’s GRAMMY Awards®, for their album, Principal. Here at Brushwood, we’re cheering them on!

For Your Grammy Award Consideration Black Moon Trio Principal

The Power of Partnership

Backpacks and Beyond:

By Megan Donahue

Summer at Brushwood Center has a signature item for the It’s A W.I.N (Arts and Wellness in Nature) team. Beach towels? No. Sunscreen? Nope.

Backpacks.

This year, Brushwood and a network of dedicated community partners teamed up to distribute 1,300 Nature Explorer Backpacks/ Mochilas de Explorador. These backpacks were filled with supplies and resources to encourage families to explore the natural spaces around them through activities focused on nurturing wellness and creativity.

Juan Diaz is the Community Engagement Coordinator, and Sandra Lopez is the Communications and Organizational Development Director at the Round Lake Area Public Library. We sat down with them to talk about our collaboration, which grew from summer backpack distributions to a year-round multi-faceted partnership.

What does the partnership between Brushwood Center and the Round Lake Area Public Library look like?

Juan Diaz: We originally started with Brushwood offering the Nature Explorer Backpack program. We hosted a program here where we talked a little bit about education/nature, and then we would give out the backpacks to the participants. Once we saw how successful that program was, we decided to do other nature programs. We started meeting quarterly and we would do other one-off programs. The last one we did was Scavenger Hunt.

We’re actually lucky that we’re right next door to the park district, and we have a woods area behind the library-a part of it has been made into a trail.

So we went to the trail and we were able to take a small group back there, and Brushwood came in and was able to share their expertise on nature and how to look at the leaves or the birds. From that program, Brushwood also developed their Little Explorer backpacks, and then they were able to give us four backpacks. We’ve just been building off from all the previous programs to either offer more nature programs or even resources that we can let our patrons borrow.

How does this partnership help you with your goals for community engagement at the library?

Sandra Lopez: Brushwood has been a force that has helped us reach more people. Without Brushwood, we were limited by our reach because of funds and also because of manpower. The library and Brushwood have a similar vision in a lot of ways: we both value lifelong learning, the arts, science, things like that. So the partnership just makes sense. We’re very aligned.

JD: Partnering with Brushwood has allowed us to reach a lot more people who might have a specific niche with nature and art that we might have not been able to reach before. Out of the partnership, we were able to establish a lot of new programs, offer more resources.

SL: We value Brushwood’s creativity and generosity and just overall commitment to the community. The team has brought in a lot of tools to make it happen. So it’s definitely the partnership that’s rooted, in a lot of mutual respect and shared goals that inspire that connection to nature, that as a library, I don’t think we’d be able to necessarily do alone. Brushwood provides a lot of access to the nature tools, to the guidance on how to explore the outdoors. And the Nature Explorer and Little Explorer Backpacks have really been what has helped us bridge that gap so that every child can develop through play, and discover nature and wellness.

JD: Thanks to Brushwood we’ve been able to reach different community needs. Like some patrons, were excited to use the backpacks since it was close to the start of school, they could use it for that reason. There were other families who were really excited because the backpack was going to aid the parents to have tools for their children to use when they go outside and explore nature. Round Lake has a lot of nature trails, so that’s another resource that parents can have and use with their children. We were able to reach different interests and provide something for anyone.

BW: What is the impact of the Nature Explorer and Little Explorer Backpacks?

SL: They encourage observation, creativity, reflection, which aligns really beautifully with the library’s literacy and STEM and STEAM goals that we have in our strategic plan. The backpacks help us remove some of the barriers by giving families free access to the tools, or the ideas, or outdoor explanation. I know that sometimes as parents, we want our children to know more about nature, but we’re so disconnected sometimes that we don’t even know how. So I feel like the backpacks help bridge that gap for that “how” and explain or support mental wellness, curiosity, even physical health.

BW: Through this partnership, the library has invested in connecting the community with nature and the outdoors. Why?

SL: Yes, we’re a library and one of our values is literacy, but our second highest value is bridging the gap in the community. And part of that is connecting to nature, connecting to creativity, connecting to STEAM and STEM. Through this collaboration we’re helping the community, helping families build that deeper relationship with lifelong learning, with nature, with each other. Our partnership just shows what’s possible when two organizations come together with a shared purpose. Brushwood has brought their vision and their resources to the library, and together we’re creating this educational experience that I feel is very joyful for families who might not have been able to have it otherwise. And that’s really the heart of the partnership.

BW: How does the library contribute to community resilience?

JD: Going back to when we started this partnership with Brushwood, it started during COVID. That’s a good example of the resilience of both organizations, to come together and still meet the needs of the community in an entirely different way. It shows the adaptability of libraries and how no matter what hardships the community might be going through or just the world in general, the library will always be an institution that will be able to, or try our best to be,.a resource. Whether that be through books or partnering with organizations to provide more resources.

SL: I feel like the library’s resilience is within the community by being a consistent, reliable resource for learning, for connection, for support in times of uncertainty. Libraries are often the safe haven that provides access to the information, to the resources, sometimes even emotional support to help people either cope or cope and thrive. That often happens through educational programs, community events, resources like the Nature Explorer and Little Explorer Backpacks that encourage this outdoor learning exploration that we’ve been talking about.

We help individuals and families figure out challenges and build skills for resilience. I think we’re the connector that links people to services, to mental health resources, to tools that they might not otherwise be able to access. We’re not just books, right? Our role isn’t just about providing books. It’s about creating connections in an environment where people feel empowered, people feel informed, and people feel supported.

HElp Support Nature Explorer Backpacks And Donate Today!

Check Out Little Explorer Backpacks at a Library Near You!

Three children consult a sign on the trail, wearing their Little Explorer's Backpacks

The Nature Explorer Backpacks have received a rave response from our partners and participants, so we decided keep the excitement going all year long. Brushwood has partnered with libraries across Lake County to create the Little Explorer’s Backpack, filled with new and thrilling activities for families to enjoy.

Available for checkout at: North Chicago Public Library, Round Lake Area Public Library, and Warren-Newport Public Library.

A Life dedicated to the arts and Environment

Remembering Robert Redford

It is with great sadness that Brushwood Center mourns the death of Robert Redford. “His lifetime dedication to the environment and justice was an inspiration to the Brushwood Center community and our commitment to ensuring health equity and access to nature for all,” said Executive Director Catherine Game. “He was a humble but powerful voice in this work, and passionate about the impact of art and nature.”

Robert Redford, Donna LaPietra, Bill Kurtis, and Sibylle Szaggars Redford at the 35th Annual Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner

In 2018, Brushwood honored Robert and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, with our highest honor, the Distinguished Environmental Leadership Award at the 35th Annual Smith Nature Symposium Awards Dinner. As a part of the event, Brushwood presented the Chicago-area premiere of The Way of The Rain – Voices of Hope, for Brushwood Center, for which Sibylle was artistic director and Robert graced the stage. Robert’s comments ahead of the premiere resonate with great clarity today:

“With everything that is going on in the world right now, I believe art plays a critical role in so many issues we are facing today; art nurtures the soul, provokes thought and inspires critical thinking. And during times like these, art can also foster a deeper understanding and connection to the Earth. We desperately need these messages right now.”

“Honoring Robert’s legacy to inspire, educate, and activate people to care for our Earth is central to all that we do at Brushwood Center,” said A. Gail Sturm, Brushwood Center Board Chair. “He understood that art is a basic need of human survival, one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand with our hearts when we cannot with our minds.”

Robert’s powerful words on stage called on each of us to do more for the natural world, recognizing the deeply interconnected relationships of life on this planet. He shared, “Only together, like rain drops, will we be able to nourish the river of life. I do not believe we go up to the sky, unless it is to come down again with the rain.”

We invite you to revisit Robert’s interview with Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra at the 35th Annual Smith Nature Symposium and join us in honoring his legacy.

Brushwood Initiatives

Building Resilience with the Health, Equity, and Nature Accelerator

By Dani Abboud and Jess Rodriguez

What will our region look like in the next 5, 10, 20, and 100 years? How will our communities adapt to future crises, rising food and housing costs, extreme weather events, shifting populations, and supporting climate refugees?

Already this year, we have experienced record heat, storms, and major flooding events. The time for solutions is now. Brushwood Center’s Health, Equity, and Nature Accelerator supports building resilience through collaboration with communities and the healthcare sector.

Mobilizing Community Leaders

Last summer, more than 100 Lake County community leaders gathered in Waukegan for Brushwood Center’s fourth annual Community Leadership Roundtable. This gathering built on the momentum of our recently-released report, Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL, with focused conversations about local impacts of climate change on health. Inspired by Lake County’s resilience and strong community networks, leaders responded to four different climate scenarios based on real and predicted impacts, and collaborated on a community response. The responses showed the depth of assets in our region, as attendees discussed innovative approaches to urban gardening, ideas for community response systems, and ways to build community connection to improve resource access and data sharing.

Jess Rodriguez leads a forest bathing activity at the 2024 Community Leadership Roundtable

Based on feedback from the community leaders at the 2024 Roundtable, in 2025 Brushwood Center took our community into the field with two Environmental Justice and Healing Tours. Participants learned about the current state of environmental justice in Waukegan, visiting some of the most relevant sites of environmental damage and rehabilitation in the area.

Two people sitting at the front of a small tour bus, smiling. — Eddie Flores and Jess Rodriguez led two Environmental Justice and Healing Bus Tours

Driven by Data

Community assets are one of the major highlights of Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL. This report, first released at the 2023 Leadership Roundtable, compiled public data sets, interviews with community members, original artwork, and GIS maps to tell the story of nature and health inequities in Lake County. While there were many interesting and frustrating findings within the report, the key message was clear: while our region has a wealth of green space and community assets, Northeast Lake County is overburdened by environmental racism and health injustices, including exposure to toxic industrial pollution, lower income, lower life expectancy, and increased respiratory and pulmonary disease risk.

Stacks of Health, Equity, and Nature: A Changing Climate in Lake County, IL — More than 3,000 people have engaged with the report data since it was published.

This report has had a profound impact on our work since its publication. We have shared the data with more than 3,000 people, distributing thousands of copies of the report in English and Spanish, providing over fifteen presentations to various organizations and stakeholders, and multiple artistic interpretations of the data, including our signature art exhibition and concert performance, Convergence. The community response has been humbling and overwhelming. We have heard from community members who felt seen and validated by the report, partners who have used the data in grant requests to leverage support for their work, and even faculty from Rosalind Franklin University incorporating the report into curriculum for first and third year medical students. But the work of the Health, Equity and Nature Accelerator does not end with the report– it is only the beginning.

Category: Brushwood News