Christmas gift idea: The gift that keeps on giving: http://www.opencentre.es/projects/ecards/
Dear Sangha friends.
The time for the second newsletter has arrived.
In the time that passed people are still busy achieving our goal to open the Open Centre.
In this newsletter you will find their personal contribution and the latest news.
- We have recently heard from the owners of the original inspiring property. They are still interested in selling and not currently looking for other buyers. So even though Open Dharma decided not to risk giving the down payment in September, there is still the possibility of a “Open Centre” in this beautiful part of Spain.
- Almost 1 million euros to be raised seems a big task. Yes, but it would only take 1000 people to give 1000 euros each, and the Open Centre would become a reality.
Over the years, we calculated that about 5000 different people did a retreat with Open Dharma. Nothing is impossible...
- The purpose of this newsletter is to keep the Open Centre project alive in the minds and hearts of people.
We hope that the following people may inspire you and if you feel the tickles to start something yourself in support of this wonderful project, which we create together? Please surf to http://www.opencentre.es.
Here you will find many Inspiring ideas to get started.
- Ernest & Delphine, living in Catalunya, didn't have money to give to the Open Centre so they decided to start making jam and sell it. They wish to raise 1000 euros by selling their jam. Ernest says: Yes, it may take us a few years, but we will get there, we will get our 1000 euros for the Open Centre!
The people who were in the Spanish Yatra this September already had the chance to taste the delicious jam. The jam is made from the fruits of the trees around their house near Olot.
- A beautiful and unexpected donation of over 4000 EUR came from a private person just after the end of the Spanish Yatra.
- Gopiji (whom went to a fund-raising workshop in California for the Open Centre recently) wrote us the following beautiful article.
It could be said that a great fund raiser is a broker for the sacred energy of money, helping people use the money that flows through their lives in the most useful way that is consistent with their aspirations and hopes for humanity. Lynne Twist, The Soul of Money.
Sitting in my home in east TN (Tennessee) I never imagined an invitation to go to Napa, CA, on behalf of Open Dharma to a grant writing workshop. The workshop had 11 people writing grants for various projects: to create pet memorial stupa's around the U.S., to buy crew boats so disadvantaged girls could learn to row, to start a remedial reading program in New Orleans schools, to fund a disabilities resource guide and personal assistance in a northern California community college and even to buy and RV for a woman and her husband to travel around the U.S. interviewing people about their choices for health care.
The workshop created a synergy where we all wrote proposals, brainstormed and encouraged each others projects. Our leader Dianne reminded us that every good project that is seeking help has a person out there who is waiting to hear about it and waiting to help.
She was so sure about the Open Centre being funded, she told me Let me know when the money starts rolling in, I want to come there and rest. She loved the idea of napping and resting, everyday she would say we all need to go to these retreats.
After the workshop the fun continued as a fund raising team formed. I met Kellie first by email then by phone. Her enthusiasm, persistence, and intelligence are electrifying. We spoke weekly forming connections around the world to join our team. Nadhia, in Canada, stepped forward to help edit the proposal. The first time we talked we wondered if we had met in
India. After a few guesses we realized I met her on my first trip to India in 1986 when I found a cave on Arunachala where she was living. I wrote a poem about this silent hill and she hung it on the wall of her cave.
Einstien said "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."
After months of phone conversations Kellie and I met at Malaprop's, a cafe bookstore, in
Asheville, NC. Meeting her was like meeting an old friend; we immediately knew each other when
I walked in the door. The energy of the project is continuing to grow with more and more people joining together to give birth to this beautiful Open Centre as Jaya and Gemma give birth to baby Vashita.
- The following Quote from Benoit may be a bit of a shock but it was the spark for him to do something himself.
I somehow had the impression that there was a real team of people working to make the OC a reality, and speaking to Jaya & Gemma, I was surprised to realize that it is, in fact, more like a team of 2 people on which almost everything relies! So then I decided to get up and do something for the Open Centre, because I'd like that this Open Centre becomes a reality.
- So dear dharma friends, we hope to hear from you soon to include you in this newsletter with all the initiatives taking place around the world.
- Please contact Benoit to inform him about any fund-raising event(past, present or future), to keep the larger Sangha informed: fundraising (AT) opencentre.es and newsletter (AT) opencentre.es to have your article in the next newsletter.
Or if you want to write something to be included in the next newsletter.
Anything, even if it is very small or only an idea. People of the Sangha are always happy to
know, and your action could also inspire others to do the same!
Anything to do with the creation of the open centre.
- If you haven't done it yet, you are invited to go and update your subscriber profile and tell us your country & state/province/county (all optional), this way we can regroup people from a certain country/continent and this allows us to send newsletters to people of a specific country.
Some people told us that they would like to know who is living around their area, so that they could join hands together in organizing Open Centre-related activities. (But don't worry; your email address won't be shared with others without your consent.)
- You can also specify if you prefer to receive messages in HTML format.
To do all of this, please click on your personalised link at the bottom of this email: To update your preferences ...
With love and trust in the Sagnha.
Iris
Christmas gift idea: The gift that keeps on giving: http://www.opencentre.es/projects/ecards/
Contacts:
fundraising (AT) opencentre.es To keep the Sangha and each other informed.
newsletter (AT) opencentre.es To send your articles to be published in the newsletter.
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Nature - Interaction - Silence
http://www.opencentre.es
If you are organizing a fund-raising event/activity, please email the fund-raising info coordinator (Benoit) at: fundraising (AT) opencentre.es with details of your event, so that we can happily share it with others.
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