Mission & History

Mission: All programs and materials are trauma-informed.

GreenTREE Yoga is a 501c3 nonprofit. Our MISSION is to help people of all ages and abilities build resiliency skills and heal from trauma. GreenTREE Yoga’s mission also includes providing support for teachers, clinicians, and health care providers through professional development and materials. Our nonprofit works to build resiliency in a variety of settings, including schools (K-12), prisons, veterans’ programs, community programs, addiction recovery programs, and shelters.

History:

GreenTREE Yoga has its beginning in service to the community. Both cofounders, Yael Calhoun and Nicole Hamory Cavallaro, were independently volunteering to teach yoga around the Salt Lake Valley. Nicole worked with prisoners (men's jail & women's prison), at-risk youth, and cancer survivors. Yael volunteered teaching kids’ yoga at shelters, schools, and community centers. Yael met Nicole at Nicole's yoga class one fine fall day. Nicole was intrigued by Yael's kids’ yoga book and kids' programs, and Yael was taken with Nicole's indefatigable approach to sharing her passion for yoga with troubled and challenged populations. Each had thought of starting a nonprofit to provide more opportunities to share their special approaches to yoga...the next year. But together they started it right then and there, after a yoga class over hot chocolate. They shared their ideas and built a wonderful Board of like-minded folks who said m “Yes! See what you can make happen.”

We have worked hard to make it happen. GreenTREE is a strong, well-rooted tree and continues to be nurtured by many wonderful people, organizations, and volunteers in our community. Please visit our list of supporters so we can name names.

With much gratitude, we love to tell the story of our history. Namaste, Yael and Nicole