At age 24, Aimee Copeland survived a flesh-eating bacterial infection after a zip-lining accident. She lost, however, both her hands, right foot, and entire left leg. Her courage and resilience led her down a path toward nature and its healing effects. The journey has taken an activist turn with a mission to help others find the nature cure and to speak out on the importance of accessible outdoor recreation spaces and opportunities.
Copeland is a psychotherapist, activist, certified yoga instructor, motivational speaker, and founder of Aimee Copeland Foundation and All Terrain Georgia. She is the CEO of Grant Park Counseling Group in Atlanta, Ga., and the Asheville Center for Inner Healing in Asheville, NC. She holds dual master’s degrees in psychology and social work and is a licensed clinical social worker in Georgia and North Carolina. Most of all, Copeland is an inspiration for everyone to find their center through nature.
As the keynote speaker for the Wellness in Nature @ “Ding” event, she will present her message of courage and self-awareness at two free lectures in the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Auditorium on Sanibel Island Jan. 23 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) co-hosts the lectures, part of a six-lecture series, with the refuge and through financial support from sponsors Jim and Linda Winn. Note: Opinions expressed in guest lectures do not necessarily reflect the views of refuge and DDWS management, staff, and board of directors.
Seating for the free lectures is limited on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can check in after 9 a.m. for the morning lecture and 12 p.m. for the afternoon and obtain an entrance wristband so they can explore the Visitor & Education Center or Wildlife Drive and trails before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time or risk being reassigned.
Below is the calendar of upcoming scheduled lectures. Book-signings will follow all starred (*) lectures. For more information about the lecture series, visit dingdarlingsociety.org/lecture-series. To learn more about the four-day Wellness in Nature event, go to dingwellness.com.
Jan. 23 – Psychotherapist/Motivational Speaker Aimee Copeland, “Wellness in Nature” – Sponsors Jim & Linda Winn
*Jan. 30 – Author/Indigenous Native David Rahahę·tih Webb, The Spanish Seminole: The Untold History of the Spanish Indians as Shared by a Descendant – Sponsors: Friends of the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society
*Feb. 6 – “Python Huntress” Amy Siewe, “Burmese Pythons in the Everglades” – Sponsors: Susan & Cliff Beittel
*Feb. 20 – Author Charles Sobczak, “The Great Florida Invasion – From Pepper to Pythons” – Sponsors: Friends of the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society
*Feb. 27 – Author/photographer Budd Titlow, “Bird Brains: Inside the Minds of our Feathered Friends” – Sponsor: A Friend of “Ding” Darling
March 13 – Actor Joe Wiegand, “President Teddy Roosevelt Reprised” – Sponsors: Heather & Bill O’Keefe
NOTE: Book signings will follow all lectures marked with an asterisk (*)
ABOUT DDWS
As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, DDWS works to support J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s mission of conservation, wildlife and habitat protection, research, and public education through charitable donations and Refuge Nature Shop profits. To support DDWS and the refuge with a tax-deductible gift, visit dingdarlingsociety.org or Ann-Marie Wildman at 239-789-8991 or [email protected].