Summer 2010

Dear Friends,

The Leaven Center wants to keep changing lives!

We all know the world around us continues to be unpredictable; and many people are struggling to make ends meet, let alone afford to attend a retreat or workshop – even one that is life-giving.

At Leaven, we believe that everyone is entitled to the spiritual and educational nurture that our programs provide – now more than ever. Such nurture should not be within reach of only the economically privileged. Yet too often, those who most urgently need the rest, renewal, and community that a retreat and study center can offer are unable to avail themselves of these things because even a modest cost is prohibitive.

Please consider a gift to this 2010 Summer Uprising of Hope Appeal and be part of the ongoing work to “offer education, resources, and hospitality for all who seek to resist oppression and engender hope.”

There are two important ways you can help Leaven continue to be able to provide challenging and innovative programming that is accessible to everyone who desires to participate:

• Make a donation that will provide scholarship support to ensure accessibility to Leaven retreats, workshops and seminars. We strive to provide quality programming at a cost that is accessible to people with a range of incomes, and it is our goal that Leaven events be financially accessible to everyone who wants to participate. To date, more than one-third of our participants receive scholarship assistance, making it possible for them to attend a Leaven program. Can you make it possible for someone to participate?

• Make a donation to the general operating fund to help Leaven keep its doors open, welcoming all who seek to be leavening agents for change. At this moment in our history, it takes $411 a day to run the Leaven Center. Is there a part of that that you can commit to underwriting?

Every contribution, regardless of its size, will have an impact. Two summers ago, in one of the most successful appeals Leaven ever made, we asked you in our “Fill the Bowl” campaign to commit to paying $5 a month for three months over the summer. Within weeks you generously donated a total of $8,000 … proving small gifts do add up! If you are able to give more, please do. If not, please give what you can!

Together, as a community that believes in the relationship between spirituality and social justice, we can continue to change lives by bringing diverse communities together to experience the Leaven Center as “holy ground”: a sacred place where individuals may gather with others to learn, practice, grow, and – through sharing our experiences of oppression and liberation – be the change we want to see in the world.

Please mail your contribution to P.O. Box 97, Lyons, MI 48851; or click here to make a secure online donation with Network for Good.

In peace and with fervent hope,

Karen

Karen D. Bota
Executive Director

P.S. Please help us help you stay connected! An e-newsletter, which lists upcoming programs and other Leaven news, has been sent each month for more than a year. We no longer snail-mail the catalogue due to printing and postage costs. If you are not receiving the Leaven e-mail, please contact Karen at karenbota@leaven.org or sign up on the home page.

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