Welcome to the Mt. Baldy Retreat Manager's Toolbox. 

This page has instructions for helping Ken plan and manage an on-site retreat at Mt Baldy Zen Center, with sample documents attached at the bottom of the page. The actual working documents you'll need are stored on Google Docs. To access them, you'll need to be invited to share them.; ask the previous retreat manager to invite you to share them. They can then be edited to suit date changes and improvements as necessary.

Date of next retreat: Wed Oct 21 (evening) to Sun Oct 25 (noon), 2009

Links

Fall Retreat page at unfetteredmind.org
http://www.unfetteredmind.org/meditation/fall.php

Spring Retreat page at unfetteredmind.org
http://www.unfetteredmind.org/meditation/spring.php

Spring Retreat at Unmind:
http://unmind.ning.com/events/spring-retreat-death-friend-or

Mt. Baldy Zen Center
http://www.mbzc.org

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Instructions

Here are some brief instructions you might find helpful:

1.  As Ken receives online registrations and payments, he will send you email that you can use to update the 2009 Programs spreadsheet.  This will be your bookkeeping document for all participants and their status.  Generally, he will also ask you to email people to acknowledge receipt of payments.

Keep participant email addresses, phone numbers and payments here (see 2008 Programs as an example). As the date arrives, you'll also use this also for shuttle and travel information, dietary needs, rooming requests, and misc notes, some of which will also be copied to separate docs as the retreat approaches.

2 months out: Aug 26th

2.  About two months before the retreat, confirm the list of registered participants with Ken. Then, edit and send out the Confirmation Letter to the participants via email. It includes requests for info on cabin/room requests, travel arrangements, and dietary constraints, if any.

3.  Keep a list of people's flight information as they send it in on the Shuttle Info document.

4.  Keep a list of people's food restrictions if they send you any on the Food Requirements document.

1 months out: Sept 23rd

5.  Once Ken has approved all retreatants, about a month before the retreat, you can send out the Information Letter via email.

2 weeks out: Oct 7th

6.  A few weeks before the retreat, contact MBZC's Shika to determine cabin availability, then fill out the Cabin Assignments document accordingly.

7.  A few weeks before the retreat, speak with Ken about assignments that retreatants might be eligible for during the retreat. 

8.  Fill out the Retreat Assignments document and ask those retreatants if they would be willing to carry out those assignments (via email).

1 week out: Oct 14th

9.  At least a week before the retreat contact the Shika for the menu.  Discuss this with Ken, and send the Food Requirements document to the Shika.

10.  At this time also send the Shuttle Info document to the Shika and discuss with him the most convenient arrangement for shuttles from and to the Ontario airport.

11.  Prepare packets for the retreatants: Print out the Map (35 copies, highlight cabins), the Schedule (35 copies), the Retreat Assignments (10 copies), the Han Instructions (5 copies), and the Timing Schedule (5 copies).

12.  Bring a few legal pads and pens:

• Use one for rota sign up: a schedule for two people to help with kitchen cleanup every lunch and dinner of the retreat: 2 slots per meal, lunch & dinner only, with 1 or 2 tours of duty per person, depending on number of participants. (Breakfast cleanup will be included with the regular work period.)
• The second legal pad will be used for requests from retreatants to the manager during the silent retreat.
  
• A third will be for communication between retreat manager and the Shika (head admin monk).

14. First Aid kit. Ken knows where it is. Make sure Ken has refilled everything: epipens, bandaids, bee sting remedy. Bring: Ibuprophin, bandaids, Beano to put out by the tea along with Rescue remedy, Tums, cough drops, whatever might help.

At Mt. Baldy:

15. Post the Schedule and the Retreat Assignments in 4 locations: the bulletin board in the dining hall, outside the Sutra Hall, and at both doors of the Zendo

16.  At 4:00 PM start registration in the dining hall.  Have packets ready to give to retreatants with a map and a schedule stapled together and their room assignment highlighted on the map in case they have never been to the site before. Have people sign up for rota.

17. Ensure that everyone with an assignment knows how and when to perform it. Train or get someone to train, if needed.

18. After sitting, 8 PM: Orientation announcement. Ken will introduce the retreat and invite Gento to speak to the group, then you will cover 'housekeeping' issues.