Mission

Nature's Light is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization incorporated in North Carolina and located in beautiful Wilmington. Our Federal EIN is 56-2177221. We are dedicated to creating therapeutic DVD videos using the beauty of nature and music to bring comfort to people at home, in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care. Part of our mission is to educate the public and healthcare practitioners / providers about the value of using such resources, since this is an innovative concept. Our long range goal is to have these resources incorporated into the standard of care, nationwide.

Our Board of Directors

President: Lorraine Perry, Vice President: Desiree Joseph, Secretary: John Osinski, Treasurer: Mike Jordan. Members: Sherman Hayes, Michelle Masson, Grace Oberle, Alan Perry, Margit Royal MD, and Paul Zarbock. Honorary Member: Karen Gottovi.

Sunlit Paths: A therapeutic resource

The Sunlit Paths relaxation DVD is our first resource. It can be used at home or in a clinical setting as an aid for relaxation, stress and anxiety reduction and pain management. It was created by founder Christine Leahy in collaboration with the Healing Arts Network at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. This production was made possible by a grant from Cape Fear Memorial Foundation (special appreciation to Agnes Beane) and by subsequent grants from the NHRMC Foundation. We also collaborated with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington's School of Social Work, Donna Hurdle, and School of Nursing, Lorna Bell-Kotwall, in an attempt to measure the effect, on patients, of watching Sunlit Paths during chemotherapy sessions.

250 DVD copies of Sunlit Paths were donated to the Healing Arts Network and have been comforting patients for several years at the hospital and hospice center.

READ THE STAR NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT NATURE'S LIGHT HERE

History: Garden of Light

The Nature's Light organization was founded by Christine Leahy after a prototype relaxation video, called Garden of Light, proved valuable in comforting cancer patients. Christine has Masters degrees in psychiatric work and film production. It was always her dream to capture spring's beauty to help people with serious illness and those who were institutionalized. In 1997, Christine presented the idea to Lorraine Perry, expressive therapist, who had just founded the Healing Arts Network at NHRMC and Michele Erich, music therapist. The NHRMC Foundation provided a small grant. Garden of Light was created as a visualization aid for cancer patients. Jan Costley and John Osinski assisted in its production.

Sunlit Paths DVD series: Future programs

Nature's Light will produce a series of DVDs which will simulate personal journeys for people to experience through a variety of nature settings. This spring, production will begin on one using the beauty of waterfalls around Brevard, North Carolina and another for hospitalized children, featuring baby animals.