2024 Shambhala Giving Campaign
$2,050
Raised
11
Donations
$20,000
Goal
Support the Vision of The Shambhala Collective Adventure!
The mission of The Shambhala Collective - Community and Education Center is to provide a peaceful place of sustainable, self-sufficient living and a place for continued learning, healing, and personal growth in a community setting to spread our shared values and vision for a healthier, more longevous world.
2024 Campaign for Change
In June of 2022, 40 acres of woodland and pasture land were acquired in eastern Tennessee by the founding members of Shambhala, with the dream of building a small community within a community, where eight families can come together to grow food and live sustainably.
It’s been an adventure already, and so many people have cheered us on along the way!
We started by building a road, which took most of the 2022 summer. In the fall, we started building the deck for our first member’s home. In the spring of 2023, we put two yurts on that deck, and in the summer, the first full-time members moved on-site.
Summer of 2023 was fast and furious, as we hosted five WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) interns, built a kitchen and bathroom in the barn, a compost station, a water catchment system under the yurts, a solar panel array for the yurts, and the first tiny home was delivered and interior finished for our 2nd member.
Between all that, we managed to grow a small garden, and lay down big plans for 2024!
The purpose of our sustainable mini-community, Shambhala Collective, is primarily self-sufficiency. We see food forests and gardens full of food, off-grid slower-paced living, and sustainable models like zero waste, composting, and forest management.
And as a non-profit organization, we are already using our model to inspire others, through educational workshops and work weekends, to teach others the hows, whys, and whats of living this life.
But we need help! While we’re searching for the five more families it takes to make Shambhala whole, we are in need of funding to help support our 2024 season!
Supporters like you can donate through the Shambhala Education Center not-for-profit to help fund the 2024 vision and beyond!
Here’s what’s on our list for 2024:
- 2 new bell-tent structures for our interns ($2000) – housing our young interns is important to us! Giving them a safe, dry, pest-free place to stay while they donate their time to us is our priority for 2024!
- Community food forests, fruit trees and veg gardens ($ TBD) – it’s a foundation goal of Shambhala to be 80% food secure - feeding our residents, volunteers, students, and interns!
- Water catchment system for the barn/community space ($5000) – gutters, rain barrels, piping, and filtering system for capturing rain water on the barn will provide water for community guests who do not have their own housing units for the barn kitchen, shower, and laundry.
- 4 educational work weekends for Permaculture Education ($4000) – these will be centered around the projects like establishing gardens, for work volunteers to come learn about the practices of permaculture that Shambhala is centered around.
- Chicken tractor and fencing ($2000) – starting with our first farm animals to help us manage pests, improve our soil, and provide food for members, our first chicken tractor and fencing system is needed!
- Training working dogs – Shambhala will be home to many farm animals, and keeping them safe is no easy task!
Our goal for fundraising for 2024-2025 is $20,000. To make this dream a reality, your funds, connections, and personal time are needed!
How you can help:
- If you like what you’ve read, help us grow towards our vision with a donation of any size to our Shambhala Collective – see our donation website here!
- If you can’t donate funds, but know of someone who might support a cause like this, please share our info with them, send an email copying us both, or send us their info!
- If you can’t donate funds or connections, but you have some time to share, we LOVE having visitors come and get some value from our off-grid lifestyle – whether that’s just appreciation for the little things, or learning about what herbs in our medicinal gardens can help your every day ailments – and gift Shambhala with a few hours of your physical strength to a project we’re working on!
All three are tax-deductible and you’ll be provided with a letter of receipt of your contributions.
You can also follow the journey and share our socials to show your support!
Shambhala WWOOF host | Shambhala Intentional Community page for new members
Shambhala on Facebook | Shambhala on Instagram
To those who have already done one of those three things in 2023, THANK YOU! We appreciate you beyond what words can express!
To those who have been following our journey and cheering us along, thank you! We couldn’t have come this far without your words of encouragement!
With gratitude and hope for a bright future-
The Shambhala Collective and Shambhala Education Center
Andy & Craig Kennedy, Carol Lacey, and Lauri & Tim Aigner
Donor Wall4
Allison
Keep doing great things!
Laura Kennedy | $100
Merry Christmas! Here’s to another successful year in 2024!
Lolli Leeson | $50
Allison Kirsch | $100
Keep doing great things! Can’t wait to visit!