Page 21 - Bulletin #67 - November 2020

Communities that rely on visitors and program participants for their income are now
facing financial loss. Some are experimenting with moving in-person programs online.

“We are concerned about our annual budget because we rely on income from our guest rooms.”
–Ellen Kemper, The Commons on the Alameda, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

“We are unable to hold the usual full summer of events, ours and those of other groups who use
our center. This will create a very large financial loss for us… We will soon be very short of finances
as our contingency fund runs out. Our finances are tied up with the retreat business and function
through two nonprofits that have always run on a very tight budget. We are engaging in
fundraising.

We enjoy gardening and working on projects together and feel blessed that we are on these 67
acres while some are cooped up in a single house or apartment in Seattle. It has been an unusually
beautiful spring. This has brought us closer through working together but we also feel the weight
of what is going on in our country, now with the murder of George Floyd and protests on top of
the uncertainty, anxiety, even fear that can free float due to the pandemic.”
— Kirsten Rohde, The Goodenough Community, Washington, USA

An overwhelming number of community residents who responded to the survey shared
how grateful they are to be living in an intentional community right now. They talk 21
about being able to care for vulnerable residents, finding creative ways to stay
connected and combat isolation, as well as seeing the crisis as an opportunity to
strengthen relationships to community and place.

“We are very fortunate to have a lovely trail right out our front doors to enjoy a beautiful, shaded
walk along our namesake, Wolf Creek. Our gardens our beautiful and provide lots of lovely
outdoor gardening time. We are enjoying a great deal of zoom time, be it the daily coffee hour,
meetings, yoga and ukulele practice. Lots of reading time such as ‘A New Kind of Science’ by
Stephen Wolfram or our latest book club entry, ‘The Words of My Father’ by Yousef Bashir.
Knitting, sewing, jigsaw puzzles and adult coloring books have been fun. We have enjoyed
impromptu drumming concerts on the terrace while practicing physical distancing.”
— Jacque Bromm, Wolf Creek Lodge, Grass Valley, California, USA

“We meet every night – without fail – at 6pm for Happy Hour on the greenway. About 8-15 people
attend and we socialize for 30-45 minutes. We meet rain or shine, and we capture every evening
in photographs. We had one week long ‘fashion week’ where the young people dictated how we
would dress (many complied). We have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries outside, generally
6′ apart, clumped by household.”
— Anna Newcomb, Blueberry Hill Cohousing, Virginia, USA