INDIANAPOLIS — Run With Wine is a nonprofit on a mission to improve the lives and health of women in central Indiana.
“We focus on three main pillars of health: movement, plant-based healing, and holistic wellness therapies,” Anitra Harris said. Harris is the CEO of Run With Wine, which, despite its name, has nothing to do with either.
“Our name is about running being a metaphor for wellness and wine being a metaphor for rejoicing,” Harris said. ”Even though we're doing some serious stuff in the community, we believe you can have fun doing it.”
Harris describes Run With Wine as a trauma-informed wellness center.
“We're a membership-based organization and all of our revenue goes to support operations, and free or discounted services to other organizations who are serving women survivors of trauma,” Harris said. “We have classes every week that are open to the public, so you don't have to be a trauma survivor.”
Classes offered by the organization typically fall within one of the three main pillars. There are Chicago Steppin’ classes for women looking to work on movement, plant-based cooking classes for improving nutritional health, and classes focused on breath work, which really can be work according to one participant.
“I had never done breath work before other than a little box breath,” Marcya Hill-Brown said. “It was very transformative and allowed me to holistically heal [and] not just in one vein of healing.”
Run With Wine is preparing to expand its healing reach with a three-day celebration in May.
“So we're going big,” Harris said. “We have people coming in from all over the country.”
The Scarlet Sparkle Gala will run May 8-10 with a mix of fun and healing-focused events. From a wellness retreat to a dance party, the weekend will help raise funds to continue Run With Wine’s programming geared towards helping those who have experienced trauma.
“We also support those in professions that deal with a lot of trauma,” Harris said. “Your youth workers, your social workers, your first responders, there's a need there for trauma-informed services, and that's what we do.”
Click here to learn more about Run With Wine. Click here for more information on the Scarlet Sparkle Gala presented by Blue Ridge Healing Sanctuary.
