2022 HBC Annual Appeal Letter and a Letter from our President
Below, you can learn about what we accomplished together in 2022 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 2022. It is that time of year again for us to reflect on our accomplishments, the ways we gathered in challenging times, how we’ve grown and how we could do better moving forward. 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 2022, after two years without, we were able to produce our 7th Unifier Festival. It was no small feat coming out of Covid and bringing folks together, but we pulled it off. We collaborated with Omar Aena of Dance Labs, NY, and were blessed to have our Mexican abuelas Yolanda & Lupina with us, as well as multi grammy award winner Fantastic Negrito, and a global and local lineup of musicians, artists, and educators representing cultures from Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Mozambique, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Guatemala, Turkey, India, Oakland, CA, Leverett, MA and Montague. We ran our 38th Forestdance Rite of Passage and Sacred Fire Circle Ceremonial Gathering. The ordeal runs three full nights from midnight until dawn, and the experience proved to be life affirming for those who attended. The HeARTbeat Collective has signed a four year lease 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. The HeARTbeat Collective would like to thank the Mass Cultural Council for their continued support during the pandemic, the Blackbaud Giving Fund, CJP Combined Jewish Philanthropists, Network for Good, and contributions from over 100 individuals like you. We rely on additional funding 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, and Unifier family. Together we are entering our 20th year of creating these inspiring gatherings.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. For those of you who are new here, welcome, and we hope you will join our incredible community of supporters. For culture creators and carriers — and so many arts organizations — 2022 certainly has provided a unique set of challenges. 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, then please DONATE today. |
In 2022 we: Completed our third year operating as a recognized 501c3 non-profit organization. Offered our 38th Forestdance Gathering Produced our July 4th weekend event after a ten-year hiatus, “SWID: Sacred World Interdependence Day”, which was free to the public Offered “Journey to Unifier” with Grammy Award nominated Gnawan Master Samir Langus and Friends Hosted A Journey to Sufi Mysticism with Cem Baba from Turkey Hosted a Spring Equinox event with Moon Hooch and the James Bird Portal Raised $5k as equity, that helped put a new roof on the community center and help steward 417 acres know as Camp Timber Trails, in Tolland, MA. Hosted two volunteer work weekends at Camp Timber Trails. Offered scholarships to our Forestdance Gathering Hosted two days clearing brambles for a future wild edible native food forest Brought our culture to two other festivals in western MA, tending a fire around the clock for the duration of the gathering and offering our version of the ceremonial sacred fire circle. Will run our 3rd Winter Solstice Bonfire in Montague, MA on Dec. 17th Together in 2022 we offered many meaningful experiences, shared many healthy lessons, and inspired and cultivated leadership from so many in our community. With your support, we will offer an even brighter vision in 2023. |
Please send your tax deductible donation to:The HeARTbeat Collective, Inc.177 Ripley Rd.Montague, MA 01351You 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 and Jason Cohen.Board of Directors,The HeARTbeat Collective Inc. is a non-profit 501c(3) organization. |
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, President and Jason Cohen, Director
The HeARTbeat Collective Inc. is a non-profit 501c(3) organization.
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