The Founder
Valerie Young was born in Louisville, KY on January 27, 1952 to Morris and Dot (Dorothy Fanelli) Young. She graduated from Wagner High School and studied at Vanderbilt University and at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her Ph.D. in Anthropology.
Valerie was a certified Shadow Work Facilitator and Coach and pursued intensive training in advanced shamanism and shamanic healing as well as being a Family Constellations facilitator. She was one of the founders of Woman to Woman, Kentuckiana, a community of Woman Within graduates in the Kentucky/Southern Indiana area. She was known for her remarkable intuition and compassion, and her ability to bring help and love from those on the other side.
One of the great loves of her life was her music. She loved to sing, play the Celtic Harp, play piano, and percussion with her beloved band, Keltricity. As well, for over twenty years, Valerie played her harp for those individuals transitioning from this world under the care of Hospice. Valerie believed the last sense to leave the body was auditory and that music supported the transition. Another great love was Nature. Valerie frequently explored her 100+ acre farm and enjoyed the abundance of visible mineral, plant and animal manifestations as well as the invisible world of energy.
Valerie Young
1/27/52 – 7/9/14
Valerie believed we deserved to be who we are and to respect the same in each other, seeing the strength in others whether we liked it or not. She was real and she encouraged that in others. She was human and encouraged that in others. She believed living was about looking within and challenging ourselves everyday to be more than we expected. She was always intrigued by the resilience of the human spirit and how we could be of service in the world. Valerie taught us that hiding is not living.
Valerie died, July 9, 2014, at the age of 62, following a two-year battle with cancer. She faced her illness and her transition as she lived her life – with grace and courage. Before she left us, Valerie created a foundation to carry on her work. Her legacy is “The Living Sanctuary”, a gift of her house and land to be used as a place for healing retreats, workshops, and a magical place to connect.
The Foundation
In 2011, Valerie started building her dream home on the land she had lived, learned, and loved for fifteen years. She was soon diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Undeterred, Valerie made the decision to complete her dream home and chose to focus on service to others, by envisioning a space in which alternative therapies and the practitioners who practice them could be supported.
During her last two years, Valerie never gave up on life and her vision. She asked four friends, Rhonda Schladand, Laurel Fuson, Barbara Bloecher and Helen Heddens to join her in creating The Young Family Foundation to bring her vision and hand-written mission into reality.
In 2014, The Young Family Foundation received non-profit status as a private operating foundation to oversee Valerie’s house and land, now named Valaterra.
Founding Board Emerita include: Barbara Bloecher, Laurel Fuson, Helen Heddens
The Land: Sunroom to Solarium
You may choose to connect with the land through the hiking trails, the native wildflower meadows, the outdoor labyrinth and fire pit, and the spacious fields, winding creeks and intimate outdoor seating areas.
You may choose to sit amongst the large boulders or atop the rocky cliffs and enjoy the sounds of Harrod’s Creek or the sighting of wildlife.
Or, you may choose to sit on the covered porch and enjoy the morning sunrise and song birds.
You might want to sit inside the sunroom, with it’s floor-to-ceiling windows and enjoy the beauty of nature from the comfort and ease of the sofas.
And, you might want to paint or photograph while observing, to journal or write while sitting with, or to play music and sing while listening to, Nature.
Whether you come for a personal retreat, a group retreat / workshop, a corporate meeting or a special event / occasion, the land of Valaterra will add support and beauty to your unique experience.