May our communities thrive on the diversity and richness of our connections
Customized Community Wellness Workshops
My wellness education workshops incorporate my broad knowledge of healing arts modalities and self-care tools in a way that supports the needs of your school group, community organization, non-profit, local business, or family. Whether you’re interested in resources for stress reduction, increased self-awareness, connecting with nature, or anything else you’ve seen on my website, I can create a customized workshop with a combination of activities to meet your unique needs.
“My favorite part of the Adult Nature DIVAS retreat was the authentic sharing and sense of community which happened surprisingly quick given most of us just met. It was a day of nourishment, connection, and and natural luxury!” ~Emily Malpass
“As our guest speaker, Kim’s guiding voice and grounding exercise enhanced the Rape Crisis Center’s annual Shout Out Against Sexual Violence. She provided a space for participants to feel supported during this expressive event and is truly a facilitator for healing.” ~Krista Parks, Orange County Rape Crisis Center
Pittsboro Community Dance Jams
Kim (DJ K Luv) along with her soul sister Zulayka (DJ Diego) began this family-friendly event in 2008 to build and celebrate community through dance. These multi-generational multi-cultural gatherings are offered in a welcoming, smoke and alcohol free space at the Pittsboro Community House, 65 Thompson Street, Historic Downtown Pittsboro. Bring your family and friends and get down to hot jams from around the globe, including funk, Latin, African, R&B, pop, reggae, & hip hop. $5 Suggested Donation – Under 10 & over 65 Free. No one turned away for lack of funds. Dress to celebrate life and bring your water bottle! Sign up on the AbunDance Healing Arts mailing list to receive announcements of upcoming PBO Community Dance Jams, now held annually in January. You may also join PBO Community Dance Jam! to see photos from past dances. (My Grandma Margie and Grandad D.A. actually met at a community dance in the 1940s–their love of dance so inspired me through my life, I like to give them credit for helping create the PBO dance jams).
I Love my Community
During a lifetime of moving all around North Carolina, I am proud and grateful that Pittsboro and Chatham County have always been my roots, my anchor, my sense of HOME. All my life, my beloved grandparents D.A. & Margie Calhoun have lived in the woods near Pokeberry Creek where my granddad served as a progressive minister at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church before I was born. Grandad also worked as the director for the local job corps program, assisting youth in finding training and employment–I still meet folks who benefited from his passion and service so many years ago.
My father, Dempsy Calhoun, a graduate of Pittsboro High School, moved my family back here when I was in elementary school. For the next several years, as dad worked in Fearrington Village as both a studio artist and construction laborer, I waited for the school bus at the end of Launis Street, directly across from Chatham Mills. I took full advantage of my Pittsboro Library card, happily reading most of the Nancy Drew mystery books they had. As my mom, Karen Calhoun, commuted to UNC for her degree in Fine Arts, I learned to climb & fall out of trees, to make grits & grilled cheese sandwiches. I taught my sister, Vanessa, to ride a bike, and I won a blue ribbon at the Chatham County Fairgrounds for my canned green beans. I had a great childhood here.
I didn’t get to finish at Horton Middle School before my parents, sister and I moved again, but I stayed connected with this community through the years through my grandparents. I returned to live in Chatham County in 2004, and in 2007, decided to move my healing arts practice here to become a more engaged citizen of this vibrant community.
I am inspired by the abundance of creativity and sustainability related activities happening in and around Pittsboro today. I love to interact with neighbors and shop for local organic produce at the Chatham Marketplace Co-op located in the renovated textile mill (across from my old bus stop) which also houses the Joy of Movement where I now teach gentle yoga classes. For over a decade I’ve been co-organizing the Pittsboro Community Dance Jams where all kinds of folks come together on the dance floor. I’ve been able to take classes in sustainable agriculture, permaculture, green building, and biofuels at Pittsboro’s Central Carolina Community College (where I also taught plant classes for 7 years). I worked for a year at Perry-winkle Farm, learning organic farming methods from Cathy Jones and Mike Perry. In 2016 I was a part of a multi-racial group of concerned residents who formed CORE (Chatham Organizing for Racial Equity) to offer local workshops to build awareness and co-create change (see details below). The list of locally grown goodness goes on…(check out my Resources Page for more inspiration).
These programs, co-ops, local businesses, and neighbors are important parts of building thriving healthy human habitats. The visioning and modeling of sustainability in Pittsboro and Chatham County has inspired people across the country and I am grateful to be a part of it.
Chatham Organizing for Racial Equity
I am blessed and honored to be a founding member of the CORE organizing committee. CORE is a multi-racial group of Chatham residents who believe racism hurts us all. We work to build awareness of personal, cultural, and systemic racism through hosting ongoing two-day Racial Equity Institute workshops in our community. REI workshops provide historical perspective on institutional racism and a thorough understanding of its ongoing effects, inspiring transformative action for a more equitable Chatham County. Find out more and sign up for an upcoming workshop here.
