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Harmony Hill's Mission
Harmony Hill's mission is to improve the quality of life for those affected by cancer, providing support and resources that inspire renewal. We fulfill our mission by providing our facilities as a retreat center for groups of all kinds, offering generous hospitality and excellent service in a spectacular natural setting.
Harmony Hill began with one woman's dream. In 1971 Gretchen Schodde, a nurse practitioner, realized her calling was to create a retreat center where people could experience renewal and deep well-being. Fifteen years later she founded Harmony Hill, the Pacific Northwest's only retreat center dedicated to providing life-giving retreats for people with cancer and their caregivers. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1986, Harmony Hill began as a small retreat facility focusing on wellness. Harmony Hill thrived, thanks to Schodde's vision, the dedication of many volunteers, delicious food, beautiful grounds and gardens, and a stunning location on the Olympic Peninsula's Hood Canal. “The Hill” offered its first five-day residential Cancer Program in 1994. This program was inspired by the internationally acclaimed Commonweal Institute Cancer Help Program. Schodde discovered Commonweal through viewing Bill Moyer's 1993 PBS documentary, Healing and the Mind, and soon after participated in Commonweal's first training for other centers.
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Our Program History
"The Hill" offered its first five-day residential Cancer Program in 1994. This program was inspired by the internationally acclaimed Commonweal Institute Cancer Help Program. Schodde discovered Commonweal through viewing Bill Moyer's 1993 PBS documentary, Healing and the Mind, and soon after participated in Commonweal's first training for other centers.
Harmony Hill's Cancer Program focused on educational approaches to stress reduction, self-care, and physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. The retreats offered nutritional education, yoga and qi gong, delicious home-cooked meals, meditation, art projects, and group support. Participants learned to recover quality of life despite their physical condition and diagnoses.
In 1999, Harmony Hill decided to change the Cancer Program from five days to three days to make the program more widely accessible. The staff has made special efforts to reach underserved populations, creating special Cancer Programs for African Americans, sexual minorities, and Native Americans.
In January of 2004, the Board took a daring step and approved all cancer programs to be offered at no cost to participants, and Harmony Hill expanded its donor campaign to fund the retreats. Due to the overwhelming response, most of our three-day cancer retreats now have waiting lists.
To help meet the demand, we initiated a new one-day program in 2004, Tools for the Journey: Living with Cancer, giving people on the waiting lists practical resources and tools, as well as providing a one-day program option.
Added in 2005 was Thriving beyond Cancer, a series of programs primarily for cancer survivors who have already attended a cancer retreat.
The flagship Cancer Program is only part of the Harmony Hill story. Harmony Hill is dedicated as well to offering wellness programs to the general public. These programs include renewal retreats for health professionals, labyrinth retreats, and the popular Spa for the Soul series: one-day mini-retreats on specific topics such as guided imagery, cooking healthy comfort foods, and yoga for the immune system.
Facility Rentals for Groups of All Kinds
Harmony Hill also offers meeting facility rentals for groups of all kinds, that can include activities such as organizational renewal, vision clarification, or strategic planning. These rentals provide important revenue to help support our cancer and wellness programs.
Today, through all of these programs, Harmony Hill serves over 2,000 people a year.
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