Dempsey Center

Dempsey Dog Meet + Greet: Louise Cheese [Rock Row]
2026-08-05 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-08-12 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-08-19 09:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | Dempsey Center – Rock Row, 11 Rock Row, Westbrook, ME, 04092, United States
Therapy dogs can help to provide emotional support, alleviate stress, improve moods, and help boost confidence. We are proud to encourage the animal-human bond through our teams of Dempsey Dogs, trained and registered by Pet Partners.
Drop into our Rock Row center and say “hi” to our Dempsey Dog Teams. No sign up needed!
Louise Cheese is expected most Wednesdays, 9:00-10:30AM

Chair Yoga [Rock Row]
2026-08-05 09:45 - 10:30, 2026-08-12 09:45 - 10:30, 2026-08-19 09:45 - 10:30
No class May 13 + July 1.

Join us for a gentle, accessible form of yoga, open to all levels of experience. Chair Yoga utilizes both seated and standing poses using a chair for support to provide all the benefits of a traditional yoga practice. We will use movement, breathing, and mindfulness to improve muscular strength, bone density, immune support, flexibility, energy, sleep, and posture.

Led by Tish Caldwell, Dempsey Center’s Movement + Fitness Manager, Certified Oncology Yoga Instructor.

Open to Dempsey Center clients in active treatment or post-treatment and their primary care partner.

This workshop will have both a virtual and in-person audience. You are signing up to attend in-person at Rock Row.

Yoga for Cancer Care [Rock Row]
2026-08-05 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-12 11:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-19 11:00 - 12:00
Reduce stress, manage treatment side-effects, and aid cancer recovery through a unique evidence-based yoga method specifically for those diagnosed with cancer. Through movement, breathing, and mindfulness, this practice aims to provide benefits such as muscular strength, bone density, immune support, flexibility, and improved posture.

Led by Tish Caldwell, Dempsey Center’s Movement + Fitness Manager, Certified Oncology Yoga Instructor.

Open to Dempsey Center clients in active treatment or post-treatment and their primary care partner.
Please note that participants must be able to transition from floor to standingyoga

Celebrate the Harvest [Rock Row]
2026-08-05 12:15 - 13:15, 2026-08-12 12:15 - 13:15, 2026-08-19 12:15 - 13:15
Want to spruce up your vegetable repertoire this summer? Our Dempsey Garden Volunteers harvest fresh produce for the Center each week from mid-July until the last of the squash ripens in September. If you are looking for new recipes or want to sample a vegetable you haven’t had before, drop in to Celebrate the Harvest! Join us to try something new courtesy of our guest cook!
Sign up for one week or every week!

Led by Judy Donnelly, RDN, CSO, LD, Nutrition Program Manager.

Open to adult Dempsey Center clients.

Dempsey Dog Meet + Greet: Rudy [Rock Row]
2026-08-05 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-12 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-19 14:00 - 16:00
Therapy dogs can help to provide emotional support, alleviate stress, improve moods, and help boost confidence. We are proud to encourage the animal-human bond through our teams of Dempsey Dogs, trained and registered by Pet Partners.

Drop in and say “hi” to our Dempsey Dog Teams. No sign up needed!

Rudy is expected most Wednesdays, 2:00-4:00PM.

Tai Chi + Qigong for Energy + Health [Rock Row]
2026-08-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-13 10:00 - 11:00
Tai Chi is a movement therapy that promotes the flow of energy in the body to improve health. Suitable for all ages, this class will emphasize the practice and cultivation of different exercises that provide benefits such as improved balance, range of motion, and core strength, as well as pain management and decreased stress and anxiety.
Led by Cal Clark, LMT, Polarity Therapist, Certified Qi Gong Instructor.
Open to Dempsey Center clients with a cancer diagnosis at any stage and their primary care partner.

Body Mapping: Honoring Your Story Through Art [Rock Row]
2026-08-06 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-13 10:00 - 14:00
Living with cancer changes the way we experience our bodies, our relationships, and ourselves. Body mapping offers a gentle, creative way to reflect on that journey and give it shape through art. In this two-part workshop, participants will create a life-size body map—a personal visual story that explores experiences of illness, healing, resilience, identity, and hope. Through guided reflection, conversation, and artistic expression, we will use color, symbols, words, and images to represent what cannot always be easily spoken.
Originally developed as a healing and advocacy practice for people living with HIV/AIDS, body mapping invites participants to create a visual representation of their experiences, strengths, challenges, relationships, and sources of meaning. Through guided reflection, conversation, and artistic expression, we will trace and transform the body into a personal map of resilience, identity, and healing.
No artistic experience is necessary. This workshop is not about making “good art,” but about creating space for self-expression, insight, and connection in community. The workshop will be co-facilitated by an artist (who lives with chronic cancer herself) and an oncology counselor, offering both creative guidance and emotional support throughout the process. Following the second session, participants will have the option to share their completed body maps in a private artist reception at the Center, celebrating the courage and wisdom each story holds.
Open to adult Dempsey Center clients.
Led by Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, Christine Brome, LCSW, OSW-C, and volunteer Buzz Masters.

Dempsey Dog Meet + Greet: Forest [Rock Row]
2026-08-06 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-13 10:30 - 12:00
Therapy dogs can help to provide emotional support, alleviate stress, improve moods, and help boost confidence. We are proud to encourage the animal-human bond through our teams of Dempsey Dogs, trained and registered by Pet Partners.

Dempsey Dog Meet + Greet: Bruce [Rock Row]
2026-08-06 17:00 - 18:00
Therapy dogs can help to provide emotional support, alleviate stress, improve moods, and help boost confidence. We are proud to encourage the animal-human bond through our teams of Dempsey Dogs, trained and registered by Pet Partners.
Drop in and say “hi” to our Dempsey Dog Teams. No sign up needed!

Bruce is expected the 1st Thursday of every month.

Sojourn: A Spiritual Care Series [Rock Row]
2026-08-07 10:00 - 11:15, 2026-08-14 10:00 - 11:15
Cancer can be a powerful force in our exploration and living into the deep questions of what it means to be human and mortal. For those looking to deepen this understanding in relationship, we invite you to join us for Sojourn, a 7-week spiritual care series. The word Sojourn means a temporary stay. In this context, Sojourn offers a pause for rest and renewal within the cancer experience —a reflective space that aims to create and provide space to question, wonder, identify, and express through peer support, expressive arts activities, and meaningful discussion.

“You will be graced with the necessary catastrophes. They will take away your hiding places and reveal unbelievable beauty.” — Andrew Harvey.

Led by Erin King, LCSW, OSW-C, CGP and Rev. Abby Pettee

Open to adult Dempsey Center clients.

Participants must be residents of ME, NH, or MA.

Fitness for Life [Rock Row]
2026-08-10 09:30 - 10:15, 2026-08-17 09:30 - 10:15
No class May 25 and June 29.

Exercise can help fight fatigue, boost your energy level, support your immune system, relieve stress and tension, make your muscles and heart stronger, improve balance and help you sleep better. This 45-minute class will provide you with all the fundamentals of an exercise program, adapting it to meet the needs of varying levels of fitness with a warm-up, aerobic activity, core and strength training exercises, and finishing with a cooldown/stretch. Please wear comfortable clothes and supportive shoes or sneakers and have a sturdy chair available on a non-skid surface and small handheld weights.

Led by Tish Caldwell, Dempsey Center’s Movement + Fitness Manager, Certified Oncology Yoga Instructor, and Livestrong Cancer Exercise Trainer.

Open to Dempsey Center clients in active treatment or post-treatment.

Advanced Cancer Support Group [Dempsey Connects]
2026-08-11 10:30 - 12:00, 2026-08-18 10:30 - 12:00
If you are living with an advanced cancer diagnosis, this is a safe place to explore ways to cope with the challenges of living with advanced illness and continue to find meaning and hope through discussion and connection.

Led by Kerry Irish, LCSW, OSW-C.
Open to adult Dempsey Center clients living with advanced cancer. Participants must be residents of Maine.

Online sign up is not available for this group. A telephone consult is required before attending. Please call us at (877)336-7287 or email registration@dempseycenter.org to request your consult.

Guided Meditation + Massage [Rock Row]
2026-08-11 14:00 - 15:15
Experience a serene session of guided meditation and restorative massage. Allow yourself to be guided through tranquil meditation while our massage therapists offer soothing hand, foot, back, and neck massage. This distinctive blend provides an opportunity for deep relaxation, comfort, and rejuvenation.

Open to adult Dempsey Center clients.
Led by Dempsey Center Staff.

Gong Bath Meditation [Rock Row]
2026-08-11 15:00 - 16:00
Step into a steeping of sound and allow the resonance of the gongs wash over you. This gong wash offers a deeply meditative experience as the vibrations of the gong work beyond the mind, gently guiding the nervous system into a state of balance and restoration. As the sound flows through the body, many experience:
• Deep relaxation and stress release
• Support for emotional release and energetic clearing
• Improved sleep and mental clarity
• Activation of the body’s natural healing response
• A sense of grounding, peace and expanded awareness
No effort is required – simply sit or lie down, breathe, and receive. The sound will meet you exactly where you are.

Please note, during this session you will be laying on yoga mats.

Open to adult Dempsey Center clients.

Led by Doris Hall, Sound Healing Practitioner.
