The Center at Orchard Hill Summer 2023 Recap
Happy Fall!
As the days grow shorter, we’re spending time at the Center reflecting on the very full summer we had.
It was about the days of rain. We cleared fallen trees and flooded roads and kept our spirits up.
It was about the days of massive prep. We raised platform tents, built changing stations, and gathered together all our art-making materials.
And, of course, it was about the days –and evenings-- of hundreds of folks flooding Orchard Hill with their spirit and laughter and creativity.
It was about the days of remembering what is real and what is true.
Summer Day Camps
Poised and ready for anything, we planted and arted and breathed clear air.
We played in the rain, in the mud, in the pond, in the forest, and developed new friendships.
A few of the many highlights from our four weeks together include….
Planting seeds, growing a sunflower house, and planting Mohawk corn and pumpkins that were harvested later by the community preschool cooperative children.
Tapping into our creativity with Yumiko Ito-Sando with a flurry of color, where each camper found ways to uniquely express themselves through different artistic disciplines.
Exploring Puerto Rican culture with Elizabeth Figueroa through food, language, song, and art and connecting to our own cultural origins.
Teen Programs
We kicked off our work with teens this summer with a special week of making art, music, and film together. It felt like coming home to them. Check out this link to their film!
After training, teens joined us as counselors and counselors-in-training during the four weeks of Summer Camp. It was exhausting and fulfilling work, and each teen quickly became a loved and trusted friend to our younger children.
During the Community Village Gathering (see below), we hosted a special program for teens called Finding Your Center. We set up camp by the pond, connected deeply with one another, swam and played, and were in ceremony together.
Partnerships
Orchard Hill Breadworks
The hardworking bakers of Orchard Hill Breadworks held thirteen Pizza Night community fundraisers, raising over $15,000 to benefit many different local nonprofits, including the Center. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped prepare 350 pizzas for the Center’s night!
Community Village: The Sacred Wheel, Honoring the Cycles of Life
Led by spiritual guide Nana Wilma and wisdom keeper Marsha Forest, 50 folk gathered together in ceremony for four days. During the Community Village Gathering, the brothers Ajanku, Jumoke and Salim, arrived with a dozen djembes, and we kept our sacred fire going and the drum beating, all day and night. A village rose up, as we sang and danced and shared prayers and gratitude.
Continuum Culture & Arts
After an amazing residency in the fall of 2022 with JR Rhodes, Continuum Culture & Arts director Andrew Drury collaborated with us for the second year to bring world class jazz and adventurous music to the Center. The Continuum Concert Series featured work by father-son duo Steve Dyer and Bokani Dyer from South Africa, Terry Jenoure, and JR who returned to join us this August .
Performance & Puppetry
Our friend, bread delivery substitute for Eleanor, and consultant to the Center Alissa Schwartz wowed us for another summer at the Wall Tent Theater, hosting a cabaret and variety show that welcomed local talent. Check out this video of her performance. Alissa facilitates collaborative leadership processes with us throughout the year, and we love her energy.
Later in the summer, Sammy put on a puppet show, alongside youth volunteers. The Bird in the Organ delighted everyone.
The Commons
Now in its second year, the Community Garden Project grew food with and for each other. Together, we nurtured the commons and enjoyed planting, weeding, mulching, and harvesting lettuce, peas, kale, cucumbers, and many other delicious items!
Gratitudes
Thank you Monadnock Developmental Services for recognizing the beauty and importance of including children with differences and developmental delays. Your generosity allows us to continue welcoming all children to our camps!
Thank you to the Jeffrey P. Smith Farm Camp Scholarship distributed by Cheshire County Conservation District that benefits campers facing food insecurity and housing. Thank you, Amanda, for your continued outreach and generosity for the last 15 years.
Thank you to all the many individuals for your generous donations. Your gifts make our work possible.
And we offer our deepest gratitude and shout-outs to…
Summer Camp Leaders: Amy, Andrea, Chloe, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Emiline, Grex, Meg, Petra, Sam, Sarah, and Yumiko
To camp leader Meg Lyczak, arriving from activist work throughout the year to support all youth
Counselors: Akil, Asher, Aster, Ayinde, Deeana, Lukas, Nayo, and River
Counselors-in-Training: Brick, Sparroe, and Victor
Lifeguard: Asher
Teaching Artist: Barb
Gracias, Arigato, Merci,
13 Thank Yous and Honey in the Heart,
Keep Healthy, Keep Hopeful until we meet again,
—Eleanor and Andrea, Center Directors
And here we are today. The seeds we planted the first week of camp have grown tall and strong. Blessed be the seeds that grow as we bustle about to and fro ….