A Letter from the Center’s Director

Dear Sangha,
A special thank you to all who helped make Harvest of Peace such a wonderful success. It was a beautiful day filled with practice, great conversation and delicious food. The Karmê Chöling staff hosted a delightful event for which we are most grateful. We had a very successful fundraiser to support the Center of the Mandala, exceeding our goal by raising over $2,600!  Thank you all for your generosity. Your kindness is what keeps Shambhala flourishing and spreading the vision of the Great Eastern Sun.

For those who may have missed it, we celebrated the appointment of two new council members.

Amy Wheeler took her oath of office as Director of Societal Health and Well-Being. Amy is very involved in the St. Johnsbury community as a health care provider. She is also instrumental in creating a vision for social outreach. Amy is excited to join the council and we are just as excited to have her with us.

 

Madge Rossinoff also took her oath of office as representative of the Office of Culture and Decorum. Her responsibilities at the center include creating beauty, hosting others, and marking occasions. We look forward to Madge’s vision for the center. A big thank you to both of you for your service to this wonderful community.

 

Finally, a few words about our November 20th and 21st Holiday Market and Benefit. We had originally intended this to be a benefit for the St. Johnsbury warming shelter. As most of you know, this worthwhile undertaking has become entangled with opposing views. At this time the location for a warming shelter has yet to be determined. We wish we could contribute to its operation but will have to wait for it to become a reality to do so. It’s an unfortunate turn of events. We hope that a warming shelter can manifest in St. Johnsbury and that our center can help to support it in the future.

The council has decided to designate the Community Restorative Justice Center of St. Johnsbury as the recipient of the Holiday Market and Benefit. The Restorative Justice Center is also very much in line with our Shambhala vision. Several of our members are very involved with its excellent work. The community is fortunate to have this valuable organization and we are happy to be able to support it. Please join us at this fun event. We look forward to seeing you!

With great appreciation,
Tom Bryer
Director