Who is Wild Joy Mission?
The three of us - Wendy, Julia and Melissa - have each separately been dreaming up ways to bring people together to heal the ways in which our communities have become fractured. We have each longed for this project, though we didn’t know exactly what it was. We started meeting in July 2025, and quickly realized that we had a lot of ideas in common, while each bringing our own flair and perspective.
Wendy Monninger owns and operates the Marshfield Inn & Motel. She moved here during the pandemic from her last set of adventures living in Puerto Rico, and got right to work running the Inn. The timing made it difficult for her to connect with the community in the ways she had been accustomed to in previous places she’s lived. She has a long history of interesting jobs, including teaching math to middle schoolers (even though she majored in English), creating a food truck famous for its BLTs, and running a bike rental business on the beach. Wendy reports to her 10-year-old sata mutt from Puerto Rico, Lucy, who is a constant beloved presence. She is a world acclaimed thrifter, dedicated idea generator, and super generous spirit.
Julia Chafets has lived in Marshfield since 2022 years (Vermont since 2009), at the Wellspring Cooperative which was once inhabited by Luvia Lafirira, a registered psychic, who claimed that her powers were enhanced by the water on that land. Julia went to overnight camp as a kid for 5 years, and at her creative, non-traditional homegrown wedding to Rita (the famous Montpelier mail carrier), her brother commented, “Julia has spent her entire life trying to recreate camp, and it seems like now she’s gotten pretty close!” She longs for the camaraderie, mutual care and endless fun of those summers as a kid. She has a steady flow of wacky ideas, and loves opportunities to delight friends and strangers. Julia is a mom and stepmom to kids from 11-23 years old. She has a deep desire to be part of building alternative ways for us to collectively thrive.
Melissa Seifert has a passion for food and community-building. In 2014 she co-founded the Marshfield Community Garden project, located at the Old Schoolhouse Common, which provides vegetables to the local food shelf and Wednesday night suppers. She also volunteers for the Marshfield Resilience Hub and provides food for local events. Melissa is excited to share her energy and enthusiasm with her community to foster new traditions filled with inspiration, creativity, joy and connection all while enjoying local, nutritious meals together. She joyfully lives with her husband Nick, children ages 10 and 14, her in-laws and various and numerous plants and pets.