AKASHA PROJECT
Akasha Project partners with a range of organizations to create space and empower people,

who would not otherwise have access, through the practice of yoga and the healing arts.

FOUNDER/PRESIDENT
Elaine Musselman

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Elaine Musselman
June Choi
Sherry Feldpausch
Elena Brower – honorary board
John Friend – honorary board
Desiree Rumbaugh – honorary board

STAFF
June Choi – executive director
Grant Woolfolk – assistant director
Calie Traver – administrative assistant

CONSULTANTS
Matthew Gaddis – videographer
Cypress Dubin-Snyder – operations consultant
Discovering Oz – communications

CURRENT AKASHA PROJECT PROGRAMS

The Ali Forney Center is a local resource center that provides shelter and a nurturing

environment for homeless LGBTQ youth. Founded in June of 2002 in response to the lack of

safe shelter for these youth, their mission is to protect them from the harm of

homelessness and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from

adolescence to adulthood.

The Columbia University Day Treatment Program is a comprehensive clinical service that

provides structure and support to normally high-functioning adults in crisis. Located in

midtown Manhattan, it is designed as an adjunct to private individual treatment. It is well

suited to individuals who have interrupted their educational or professional pursuits

because of mental illness and/or addiction.

The Chinatown YMCA provides free and safe community access to a wide variety of

educational, recreational and counseling services. Their goal is to create a safe haven

and nurturing environment for neighborhood youth and adults in Lower Manhattan with an

emphasis on the Chinatown/Lower East-Side area. They serve nearly 2,000 individuals

each year.

Goundwork, Inc. is an organization committed to strengthening communities through

after-school education programs that give young adults the support they need to graduate

high school and succeed in college. Based in East New York, it is their mission to support

the development of powerful youth, powerful families and powerful communities so that all

young people in the communities where they work have access to a full range of

opportunities to lead a rewarding and fulfilling life.

Validus Preparatory Academy is a public non-charter high school dedicated to academics,

health, and fitness. Located in the Bronx, their mission is to develop students who

understand the importance of health and fitness, who demonstrate the character traits of

responsibility, collaboration, compassion, and commitment and who achieve mastery in

academics to prepare them to be successful in life after high school.

The Young Women’s Leadership of East Harlem is dedicated to addressing the developmental

needs of young women by providing a dynamic and participatory environment in which to learn.

They strive to work with families to instill in their students a sense of community,

responsibility, and ethical principles of behavior – characteristics that will help make

them leaders of the next generation.

Privates Program is dedicated to offering private sessions to a limited number of

individuals with disabilities or debilitating conditions that prevent them from attending

regular community classes.