2023 HBC Annual Appeal Letter and a Letter from our President
Below, you can learn about what we accomplished together in 2023 and how you can make a tax deductible donation to support our scholarships and programming.
Hello Dear Supporters and Friends, We hope you are doing well navigating your journey through 2023. It is that time of year again for us to reflect on another journey around the sun, on who the people were that we were surrounded by, and all that we have meant to one another. In an ever-shrinking world, we manage to stay connected and inspired, while caring for our dear planet and community. We hope you are finding your way to connect to the things that inspire you, to connect to the Land that you love; taking time to be still and listen, and finding ways to be creative and expressive. The main focus of the HeARTbeat Collective’s work has always been to create uniquely artful gatherings inspired by nature and culture. In 2023, we produced our 8th Unifier Festival in 10 years. Once again we brought together a global and local lineup of musicians, artists, and educators representing cultures from Costa Rica, Peru, Morocco, Iran, Brazil, Iraq, Ghana, Bulgaria, Guinea, Columbia, Senegal, Los Angeles, Leverett, MA and Montague. We ran our 39th Forestdance Rite of Passage and Sacred Fire Circle Ceremonial Gathering. The healing and expressive arts ordeal runs three full nights from midnight until dawn, and the experience proved to be life affirming for those who attended. This year was wonderfully profound and enriching. The HeARTbeat Collective delved deep into our new relationship with the Montague Retreat Center. The MRC is rich with an incredible legacy that included the birth of the modern US no-nukes movement in the 70’s, and a community who purchased the farm with the money raised by an anti-Vietnam War show put on by the Beatles in NYC at the Fillmore East. It is an honor to be continuing good work there and joining the legacy of all those that did so much. We will be sponsoring the art and cultural events at the venue. Throughout the winter, we offered our Melt Series, with yoga, cacao offerings, live music and ecstatic dance. We held our 3rd annual Winter Solstice Bonfire and hosted bands like Porangui, Yaima, Mal Maiz, grammy nominated Samir Langus, and various other fantastic artists. We also added New Year’s Eve and Earth Day celebrations, a Summer Solstice celebration, and have co-hosted a weekly Tuesday contact improv “ABCD Dance Jam”. We will be holding our 4th annual Winter Solstice Bonfire with Kotoko Brass on December 16h. Our aim is to bring the local community together with this great fire, fire spinning, drumming, dancing, edible tree decorations for the birds and kids, and hot mulled cider. The fire will be sparked this year once again by Neil B. the founder and leader of Wolftree Programs. The HeARTbeat Collective would like to thank the Mass Cultural Council for their support. We rely on community support to cover around $40,000 of our annual operating expenses so we can break even and continue to be in service to our community and to the public. This letter, our annual appeal, is going out to all of you who are the core supporters of the HeARTbeat Collective, Forestdance, Melt and Unifier family. Together we are entering our 21st year of creating these inspiring gatherings. It is easy to believe that we are preparing for our 40th Forestdance Gathering. Together, we have served thousands of attendees, helping to keep all of our hearts expanded with hope and inspiration. We are so thankful for every one of you who has joined us over the years and contributed your knowledge, care and service to our circles. We are thankful for culture creators and carriers — Each year we raise a complementary percentage of our programming costs from our community to help us meet our annual operating budget. If Unifier, Forestdance, or another of our events has touched your life in a profound way, has inspired you to lead or level up, or to step deeper into living the life you have wanted to live, then please donate today. We truly appreciate your reciprocity. Please send your tax deductible donation to: The HeARTbeat Collective, Inc. 177 Ripley Rd. Montague, MA 01351 You can also donate via PayPal or with a bank or debit card through our portal by clicking the “Donate” button. Being in service to you, our community is a great honor and your support truly makes it possible. Please Hear Us Say Thank You. Sincerely, Ult Mundane, Jason Cohen & Nick Mikita Board of Directors, The HeARTbeat Collective Inc. is a non-profit 501c(3) organization. Our 2023 programs were made possible through grants and donations from: Mass Cultural Council The Blackbaud Giving Fund CJP: Combined Jewish Philanthropists Network for Good And Contributions from over 100 individuals like you. |
A message from our President, Ult Mundane
The HeARTbeat Collective sponsors transformational expressive arts events year-round. We keep our entry fees low because it’s important that everybody has access. We offer work-exchanges and scholarships to further reduce costs for those who are called to join us.
In order to keep making these beautiful offerings, from time to time we ask our community for some support. We ask you to donate your time at the Camp Timber Trails work weekends. We ask you to volunteer your skills and efforts. We invite you to consider becoming a board member. And sometimes, we ask you to donate your money.
If you feel like you have benefited from our offerings and can afford to give back, please click the Donate button now.
With love and gratitude,
Ult Mundane
President of the Board of Directors,
HeARTbeat Collective