Sanctuary on the River has long been a destination venue in Ruidoso. Its owner, Debbie Haines Nix, has used its serene location to house an inspired living center. She is a powerful community supporter and focuses her career on helping people find their own happiness.
Through the Sanctuary on the River, Nix still maintains a strong bond with the survivors residing at The Nest domestic violence shelter. She was a founding board member and one of the visionaries who saw the problem domestic violence posed within our community and resolved to end it. She continues to support The Nest by hosting events, including a staff/board retreats and teambuilding workshop for the advocates and management team.
And now, Nix is hosting a wonderful fundraiser event to benefit The Nest.
Nix originally set out to create a program to inspire the women of Lincoln County in partnership with Melinda Charbonnet, CFO of the Lake Austin Spa Resort. The two were inspired after attending an event called Women on Fire.
They ultimately created the 2014 Choosing Happiness Retreat, to be held on July 23 and 24. The event will have speakers from across New Mexico and Texas. Ten speakers will offer guidance on everything from embracing authenticity and vulnerability to identifying passion and vision.
“We are helping people find their way back to themselves,” Nix said. “We stop trusting ourselves, we have forgotten how, but we still have all the tools to make our own decisions. The conference is about being guilt-free and becoming empowered.”
Nix has a powerful vision for the Choosing Happiness program. “We hope that by inviting people to participate in Choosing Happiness, we will be saying to the women at the shelter, ‘You have the opportunity for happiness too.’” Nix said.
“Part of our invitation letter says, ‘On behalf of the survivors, thank you,’ because they too are choosing their own happiness. Next year, we hope to offer the program to the women residing in the shelter.”
Registration for the 2014 Choosing Happiness Retreat is now open through the Sanctuary on the River website, sanctuaryontheriver.com. Registration costs $195 and is limited to 100 people. The event page includes biographies on each speaker and detailed information about the presentation topics.
Pictured is Debbie Haines Nix, owner of Sanctuary on the River.