July AZH Newsletter

Dear Friends,

It has been a busy summer for Appalachian Zen House. Our newest outreach project is coordinating the garden for the Bald Eagle Area School District’s Summer Lunch program. This program provides free lunches every Monday-Friday to children and youth in the Bald Eagle School District and is a joint effort of the Martha United Methodist Church and local volunteers. AZH built a raised bed garden using donated materials and plants. Every Wednesday morning I lead an activity related to the garden. Activities have included planting the garden, constructing a scarecrow, painting a sign for the garden and for each type of plant, and constructing trellises for pumpkins and watermelons.

We hosted a Fresh Air child from the Bronx, New York, earlier this month. Fresh Air is a non-profit organization that arranges for children from NYC to experience life with a family that lives in the country. Our "daughter" for the week had a blast swimming in the pond, hiking in the woods, chasing fireflies, and immersing herself in the natural world. She definitely plans to come back next year.

The summer camp started on June 22nd . While we've been disappointed by the low turnout—three to four kids each week, the kids who come are having a good time. Activities have included making vegetarian lasagna, picking blueberries, making fruit smoothies, learning about Native American culture, and swimming.

We continue to host weekly meditation and council circle. We recently expanded the time we spend on council circle from 30 minutes to an hour. We feel this change has allowed us to delve deeper into issues that arise. All are welcome to attend meditation, which takes place on Monday evenings from 7 pm-9 pm. Participants are also invited to our potluck dinner at 6 pm. Please email me at appzenhouse@gmail.com if you'd like to attend.

Our friend David reports that he is very happy with the raised bed garden that we set up for him in May. He says his vegetables are doing very well and that the fence has successfully kept out the critters. If you would like to donate money to pay for a raised bed garden for a person in need, please contact us at appzenhouse@gmail.com. We will build the bed, deliver it, and construct it on site. We will deliver the soil and the plants as well and provide gardening advice.

Sunny attended a week long workshop with Joanna Macy in May. Inspired by her work he conducted a Speak Your Peace program at Ahimsa Village that gave us all an introduction to her work. Fifteen people attended this program.

Finally, I have been blessed with the opportunity to assist with teaching a conflict resolution course to inmates at the Centre County Correctional Facility. The course was created by an exceptionally dedicated and courageous woman, Marie Hamilton, from a course designed by the Quakers. Marie’s work in the Pennsylvania prison system over the past 30 years has powerfully demonstrated that when prisoners are treated with respect and when they are taught conflict resolution skills, their lives can be radically transformed. In June I assisted Marie with teaching the course to ten male inmates. The men expressed sincere gratitude to Marie, another volunteer, and me at the conclusion of the course. In August I will be assisting Marie in teaching the course to a group of female inmates. 

Warmly, Kelle Kersten, AZH Director