Women’s Wilderness Weekend of RI, a non-profit organization formed to provide weekend getaway opportunities for women to enhance self-development through shared workshops, recreation and fellowship will celebrate its 35th year when it holds a retreat Jan 22 to Jan. 24.

The mission of WWWRI is to provide safe, non-competitive programs to adult women in a pristine setting to afford them the opportunity to learn about and reflect upon their connections with themselves, their environment, and society. Each year WWWRI conducts three weekend retreats that begin Friday evening and end Sunday afternoon. The retreats take place at the 2,300 acre W. Alton Jones Campus of the University of Rhode Island. The campus contains trails, lakes and farmlands in addition to the state of the art Environmental Education Center facilities. The campus is an ideal spot for retreat, recreation, and renewal. The Campus is wheelchair accessible, has a lodge with fireplace and several meeting/class rooms. The rustic cabins are heated, have shower, and camp style bunk beds. The highly rated meals are served buffet style. Vegetarian options are available.

WWWRI was incorporated in the State of Rhode Island in August of 2001 and operates the program at the W. Alton Jones location staffed by its board of directors and other volunteers. WWWRI is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

The upcoming Women’s Wilderness Weekend will offer a wide variety of classes such as orienteering, snowshoeing and tracking, outdoor cooking, making a walking stick, herbs and aromatherapy, natural cosmetics, belly dancing, spoon carving, pilates, salsa dancersize, etc. As with all of the weekends there will be a service project. For the January weekend, the service project will be donations to the Crossroads Rhode Island in Providence.

Participants in the weekend retreats are charged $185, which includes all meals, lodging and workshops. Some workshops may require a materials fee. Scholarships are available on a limited basis.

Those seeking additional information should call Leslie at (401) 826-7401, Tracy at (508) 938-5523 or Cherie at (203) 294-0481. The Web site is: www.womenswildernessri.com.