Summer 2015
Dear SSC Family and Friends:
We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported the Protect the Land Project. One of our primary goals is to be good land stewards. A significant way to accomplish that is by protecting the waters of Bear Creek, which flows through the land. With your donations, work has begun to fence and protect an important portion of the land from neighboring cows. This includes the Retreat Center, the precious riparian zone and the ever-expanding garden.
Now our fundraising efforts are focused on two goals, which reflect two of the mostly dearly held ideals of the community:
1. To build needed accommodations for visitors and those considering joining our community.
2. To make gardening opportunities more available to those who's passion is to garden organically.
Building Community Accommodations
For the community to grow, we need sufficient accommodations for those wishing to visit or join our community. We are making progress, as there is a new residence being built, and we had previously improved another building, making it habitable. We can fairly easily add on to that second building, increasing housing space. Among our community participants, we have the skills needed to expand the current accommodations. We have some natural building materials on hand, however, in order to make progress, more construction materials are required.
Growing the Gardens
Our first priority is to improve the water delivery system to the gardening areas. This step is crucial so we can offer the opportunity for others, especially younger people, to join the community and learn to garden organically. Due to seasonal changes in our creek, where we are fortunate to have the oldest recorded water right along Bear Creek, the water level fluctuates greatly. Creating a solar powered water delivery system would provide a reliable water supply throughout the growing season.
Our fundraising goal for these two projects is $6,000. The solar powered watering system will cost about $3,000 and the remaining funds would be used to further our building goals.
If you are informed by the wisdom of your heart to support these projects, we would be most grateful.
Tax-deductible donations for these two projects can be given in three ways.
1. Check – Check payable to SSC (On the check memo, write “Fundraising.”) and send to:
SSC
P.O. Box 373
Silver City, NM 88062-0373
2. PayPal – PayPal link from SSC website (In the note section, write For Fundraising)
https://sites.google.com/site/southwestsuficommunity/Home/donate
3. The “Donate” button on our Facebook page – Southwest Sufi Community.
We greatly appreciate your generosity and support in holding the vision of growing the Retreat Center land.
Gratefully and with deep appreciation,
The SSC Board of Directors, Pir Shabda Kahn, Yaqin Sandleben, Rahmana Sickel, Khalil Elliott, Bodi Daley and Amos England