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Mountain Matters July 2017:
Look What's Happening at The Mountain!
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Growth, energy, and abundance are great words to describe things at The Mountain this summer!
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Ted Wisniewski, Executive Director
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Message from the Executive Director
I hope you are having a fantastic summer.
The Mountain certainly is!
We are in the heart of MountainCamp and our kids are having a wonderful time enjoying workshops, crafts, the lake, and friendships. Our Camp Staff is also doing marvelous work with the youth.
I am very proud of them.
With camp, retreats, visiting parents, and volunteers will have had over 650 kids and adults visiting us between Homecoming Weekend and Intergenerational Family Camp week. It is easy to get caught up in the continual motion of the moment.
Luckily, we are at the Mountain: the perfect place to find moments of beauty, joy and bliss.
It is also the perfect place to stop, breathe, and take a moment to relax.
For generations The Mountain has been the place to get your "soul shine" time. You know,
the time when stress
melts away while you sit on Meditation Rock, where the sun vaporizes life's clouds and worries, and hiking the Chinquapin trail d
etoxifies
your head and body. So, as your busy summer comes to an end, make sure you plan some time to join us at The Mountain in the coming weeks to get YOUR soul shine time.
I look forward to seeing you soon~
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During MountainCamp we
eks, t
he days at camp are filled with traditional camp activities such as opening circle sing-alongs, f
ield games, water sports, arts & crafts, outdoor adventures, time with friends around the campfire and cabins, and
more. Thanks to Joe Will Field, we
have some photos to share. You can check out more about what's happening on the
MountainCamps Facebook page
--enjoy!
Thanks to your support and the generosity of two families pledging funds to match donations to the Mountain Campership Fund, we were able to raise nearly $18,000! Camperships made our wonderful
MountainCamp experience possible for more than 47 kids this year. You can contribute to the
Mountain Campership Fund any time throughout the year--THANK YOU!
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Art Showcase & Sale
Join us July 14-23
You're invited to our first annual MountainCamp Art Sale & Showcase! We will be showcasing artwork contributed by our campers and staff that can be viewed or taken home with you for a suggested donation. Proceeds will benefit our
MountainCamp program and
camperships for kids participating this summer and next.
The art will be displayed in The Commons and staffed during business hours, or by
appointment.
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Many Hands Peace Farm
This has been a great season on the Farm so far! With help from our apprentice Tanner, campers, ASCENDERs, Work Weekend and other volunteers, we have expanded our garden beds and growing space. We incubated 48 chicks to increase our flock of chickens and have been producing a bunch of new items to feed our Mountain guests and sell at the local Whole Life Market and Farmers Markets. Proceeds from these sales help to cover the costs of feed and seed. We have been educating local kids and campers about sustainable farming practices, as well as the life cycles of plants, mushrooms, and chickens, and promoting The Mountain as a place of learning, growth and good nutrition. The Many Hands Peace Farm was recently awarded a $600 grant by the
Rotary Club of Highlands for specialized equipment that will provide a sterile environment for our expanded mushroom cultivation and education program. Our farm apprentice, Tanner, has used his graphic design skills to give the Farm a new look. We are appreciative of the many gracious donors who have made it possible for us to purchase much-needed equipment to ease our work and expand the vision for the
Food Forest Project Update
We have a vision for transforming The Mountain's black locust grove into a
forest of fruit and nut trees, shrubs, perennial vegetables,
and mushroom beds. This vision will be funded, in part, through a
$4,000 campaign via Faithify, an online Unitarian Universalist crowd-funding site.
To learn more about The Many Hands Peace Farm and our Food Forest, contact our Farm Co-Managers,
Ben Galindo and
Joey Kyle.
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PROGRAM UPDATES
Total Solar Eclipse:
Together under Sun and Moon
As most of you already know, a
Total Solar Eclipse will be passing across the country on
Monday, August 21st. The Mountain is in the perfect location to view the event in its totality. In anticipation of this event, the Mountain Staff is doing everything possible to make Little Scaly Mountain a prime viewing location for our friends and supporters. Our
Eclipse Program has been sold out for some time, with over 125 guests booked (with a wait-list).
The
Town of Highlands has been hard at work for months, planning activities and events, educating and preparing the community for the inevitable traffic
congestion that comes with so many visitors. The Mountain Staff is
emphasizing attention to safety when traveling and viewing on Eclipse Day.
Please make sure--no matter where you are viewing from--that you are wearing proper eye protection. If traveling, please exercise patience and take steps to prepare for your ride (pack water, snack, toiletries, etc...), and remain focused on the road ahead. The Eclipse is a wonderful reminder of the amazing miracles of our planet and the phenomena that occur all around us.
Cultivating Presence & Connection Through Companioning
is being rescheduled for next March 16-18!
Co-facilitators Rev. Roy Reynolds and Trudy Deyle are working to create a new program to offer next spring instead of August 14-18 this summer. Watch for more information in the coming weeks.
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It's Membership Renewal Time!
The Mountain has been a membership organization from its beginnings. Your annual membership provides The Mountain foundational support and enables you to vote on matters of annual business. Memberships may be renewed online:
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