Summer 2013 - Camphill Village Kimberton Hills

news
Camphil Vil age Kimberton Hil s
Summer 2013
40th Anniversary Series
Celebrating Kimberton Hills: 1990-1999
Inside:
w Our 40th Annversary Series continues as we look at Camphill Kimberton in the 1990s
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Village Transitions and Updates
A summer of transition
Happenings
brings excitement for the future
A quiet and fitting transition happened in Kimberton Hills this July. Felicity
Jeans, coworker in Kimberton Hills and current Board member, has agreed to take
my place as Executive Director.
Felicity is English by birth, has Camphill experience in England, Ireland and here,
and is a trained eurythmist. In Kimberton Hills, she managed the bakery during
its successful transition to Sweet Water Baking Co., and since that time managed
and developed our fiber arts program, as well as, consecutively, three households.
With expertise and dedicated work, she has developed a fine cadre of helpers in
each place, as well as increased sales outlets in fiber arts/weavery. She serves on
our Management Group, and is a valuable advocate for people with disabilities, for
our newer coworkers, and for Kimberton Hills.
After more than 12 years in this position, I am glad for the opportunity to do other things in the village, and will help in the
transition. I am utterly grateful for the many people who have helped me, for the trust given me, for the challenges and growth that has
taken place—in Kimberton Hills and in myself. I have appreciated the opportunity to share our mission with many others who now
know what a mighty force for good this small village is and can be.
There are a few quotes from non-village members that live with me, please forgive me if you’ve heard me repeat them. One was from
a touring ARC executive who said, incredulously, “People with disabilities here are doing something for the world!” Yes! Another was
from an accountant who was training some of us. After getting an orientation to our financial system, she said, “This is not a usual
non-profit - it’s a small nation!” In some ways it is. You might say we have “departments” of agriculture, natural resources, commerce,
transportation, health, energy, environmental protection, education, housing, state, and so on. Our department of defense has no
weaponry - but rather good will from those of you who want us to succeed as well as ever developing community awareness and efforts
to strengthen our capacities to serve.
This summer our Executive Director of 12 years, Diedra Heitzman,
hands duties over to Felicity Jeans, a long-term resident volunteer who
has lived and worked at Camphill Kimberton for the past eight years.
Our situation is somewhat different from other organizations, as
Diedra is neither leaving the community nor administrative work, and
will be available to assist Felicity in the months to come. Diedra looks
forward to having more time to administer and teach in the Social
Therapy Seminar, in which resident volunteers can gain transferable
college credit as a part of the Camphill Academy of North America.
Diedra will continue to assist in admissions, cultural events, strategic
planning, development, serve as the Secretary of the Board of
Directors and will remain a householder in Springfield. The village
community continues to be grateful for her years of service.
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It is bittersweet to say goodbye to the Roemer family (pictured below,
with Mimi Coleman and John Tower), who have moved from the
community after 15 years. Among many activities, Veronika
contributed greatly to the music, musicals and orchestra program and
Thomas helped in finance administration, maintenance, and most
recently has managed the dairy for the past four years. They have been
active householders in Pfeiffer and Farm House. We will certainly
miss them and their children, Alexandra, Sebastian, Matthea,
Benedict and Sylvia.
If you have questions regarding the Executive Director transition, please contact Bernadette
Kovaleski, Director of Development, at bernadette@camphillkimberton.org or 610-935-8660.
The Morrie Huston Villager Activity Fund
RIDE, SPONSOR,
VOLUNTEER!
Be a part of the 7th
Annual Camphill
Challenge bike ride event,
set for Sunday, October
20 at the Kimberton
Waldorf School. All
proceeds from the event support the three
Camphill communities in Chester County:
Camphill Kimberton, Camphill Soltane and
Camphill Special School.
There are many ways to get involved. Please
visit www.camphillchallenge.org for more details
or contact Bernadette at 610-935-8660 or
bernadette@camphillkimberton.org.
See you in October!
A meaningful and happy life is what the late Morrison Huston wanted for his daughter,
Posie, and all the villagers who live in community at Camphill Kimberton. Mr. Huston
(pictured below, center in the 1990s) served for 18 years on the Board of Directors. Following
his death in 2008, The Morrie Huston Villager Activity Fund was established to continue
his legacy and offer enjoyable outings, experiences, vacations and cultural activities to our
residents, many who have minimal or no family finanical support.
With your contributions we can continue to offer these worthwhile experiences, year after
year. If you have any
questions or if you would
like to learn more about
the fund, please contact
Bernadette at 610-9358660. To make a
contribution to the fund,
kindly make your check
payable to “CVKH” with
the notation “Huston
Villager Activity Fund” and
return in the enclosed
envelope. Thank you for
your support!
Ted Weicheld (pictured above, with Kathryn) has joined us to take
on Kathryn’s responsibilities. We count ourselves very fortunate
to have him join us. Ted has been a friend for a long time; his
sister Susan lives in the village. He has served on our Audit
Committee and Finance Committee before joining us as an
employee. Ted comes to us with an MBA in Finance from
Villanova and experience in industry as a comptroller. He is
joined in our finance department by Teri O’Hara, who has been
ably doing accounts payable and receivable, payroll, and more
for the past three years, resident Steven Clee who serves as the
Assistant to the Treasurer, and Tom McCallum, active Board
Treasurer. Lynda MacAleer has been generously volunteering to
account for our Café and Craft Store income, and has consulted
in other areas.
We also welcomed two new Board Members
at our May meeting. Christopher Barron
(pictured, right) is Vice President, Corporate
Marketing with Bentley Systems and lives in
nearby Birchrunville. He and his wife, Sally,
have been long-time friends of our
community. Mary Wildfeuer (pictured, below
right) oversees the Sankanac CSA along with
her husband, Todd Newlin. They are also
householders in Hyacinth. Welcome!
In many areas, Kimberton Hills leads—and that leadership is a product of whatever sound thinking we can muster, based on the
insights of Rudolf Steiner, including recognition of our spiritual origins and our tasks to imbue life not with fantasy or delusion, but
with knowledge combined with love.
Yours sincerely, Diedra Heitzman
For the past 30 years, Kathryn
Keegan has ably served
Camphill Kimberton as a
bookkeeper and financial
administrator. This summer
she officially retired on July
28. Kathryn’s high ideals and
integrity have been a blessing to our community and everyone
it serves. Kathryn is also an accomplished artist and poet as well
as a grandmother, so she will shed her responsibilities here with
a lot of good times ahead, and continued friendship with us.
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We are pleased to welcome a total of seven new long-term resident
volunteers to Camphill Kimberton. We have been fortunate to find a
new Dairy Manager, Mark Skinner, who will be working with Robert
Percy. Brendan Tracy, a new householder and coworker, who formerly
worked with Camphill Special School and Beaver Farm and was trained
by Veronika, will be taking over the Music Workshop. Householder
Karen Arthur will now have the opportunity to more fully “retire” from
managing Serena House, our elder-care house, as two new long-term
resident volunteers, Peter and Judith Hokky, move in. The Hokkys
come from a long background of social and educational service. Former
resident volunteer, Mark Ohi, with his wife, Marchen, will return to
Camphill Kimberton in late July to take up householding in Kerria
House and will work on the land and in the fiber arts workshop We
also are happy to welcome back 15 short-term resident volunteers who
have chosen to remain at Kimberton Hills for a second or third year.
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Camphill Kimberton recently received a
$20,000 Capacity Building grant from the
Camphill Foundation. The funds will go
directly to improve the outreach and
tools we use to increase public involvement
and volunteer recruitment, including but not limited to an
updated website which will be launched in late summer, and
planned giving literature to assist donors with their estate plans.
Stay tuned for an announcement regarding the website launch
and continue to find Camphill Kimberton updates on Facebook
at facebook.com/CamphillVillageKimbertonHills.
We are also delighted to share that the national Camphill/
AmeriCorps program has been awarded a new 3-year grant.
The Camphill Association of North America will welcome 100
AmeriCorps members to live and work with children, young
adults, and adults with developmental disabilities in Camphill
communities in seven states, including our community in
Kimberton. Thank you to both organizations!
Camphill Kimberton 1990-1999
Adapting the landscape
initiated the larger weavery workshop in Kepler as part of
the new craft program.
by Bernadette Kovaleski, with special thanks to Michael Babitch, Diedra Heitzman and Helen Zipperlen
In the winter of 1990-1991, the Farmers Group began a process of re-evaluation. They realized that the farm was unable to continue the
level of activity it had begun in the 1980s. This was largely due to young farmers and trained apprentices such as Barbara Booth and Greg
Schultz having ventured out into the world to create some wonderful new Biodynamic initiatives. In autumn of 1991, a new community
group was formed, the Land Stewards, which included the farmers and gardeners and also those who carried a concern for the land.
Delivery runs of milk, bread and vegetables to Philadelphia were discontinued in order to focus on the more local market and develop a
greater sense of community between farmers and consumers. The garden discontinued its commercial marketing and created the
subscription garden, known today as Sankanac CSA. It began the first year with 20 shares. Today the CSA garden sells more than 100.
In November 1993, Camphill Kimberton celebrated its 21st birthday and marked the date with a celebration, commemoration and bell
ringing at the new gazebo built for the occasion.
In the pioneering stage of Camphill Kimberton there was plenty for everyone to do to meet the challenges of farming the large estate and
establishing the households. More than 20 years later, some were ready for less physically-demanding work, as a balance to
involvement on the land or in the houses. Craft workshops were created to broaden the scope of work and provide creative activity as
part of daily work life.
Under the guidance of M.C. Richards, a pottery workshop was
created. Participants learned techniques of handbuilding and they
created vases and planters for the Coffee Shop, as well as items for
their homes and families.
Bicycle repair took place in the basement of Kepler House. The crew
had the satisfaction of seeing their bicycles go out of the shop to happy
customers who were friends in the Village.
The wool workshop was the largest workshop, with 10 villagers.
Wool from our own sheep was washed, sometimes dyed, fluffed,
carded and then was either felted or spun. Hand carding and drop
spinning were new skills to be learned while villagers also took on
spinning on the wheel. Master weaver Carol French-Corbett also
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Villagers in the handwork workshop produced cardboard art portfolios and hand-dyed tissue
paper for gift wrap. Knitting projects were worked on while paint was drying. Sewing and
quilting workshops developed new skills such as needle threading and new stitches.
While the crafts program continued to grow, Homemaking remained an important role in
the village. The necessary functions of cooking, cleaning and laundry were valued for the
opportunities offered to focus attention and good will. “Because we all work side by side, for
the common goal of a clean and beautifully ordered house, we can experience our sister and
brotherhood in a new kind of family,” said Sherry Wildfeuer. “The regular rhythms of the day
and week provide a structure in which we can rest secure, while at the same time they gently
train and educate us to become more responsible.”
While workshops and activities were adapted for our aging villagers, Camphill Kimberton also
rose to meet the changing needs in home life. By 1997, Sycamore House joined with Linden as
a first step in creating a care house for people as they became less mobile. Morningstar Garden
was located right next door, the perfect environment for care that keeps a person growing.
Karen Arthur arrived in time to help care for John and Lies after a serious car accident. That
care became the impetus for creating an elder care house.
Also in 1997, the Rapsey family came to Camphill Kimberton and moved into Sankanac
House. They created a 60-acre mixed farm there, moving the 10 acres of field vegetable crops
from other parts of the land to the area where the CSA now resides, over a two-year period.
The dairy farm transitioned from the management of Michael Wildfeuer to Steven Clee.
Charlene’s place as “Queen of the Dairy” remained, and Larry Adler was an especially
important farmer, among others.
In the early 1990s, Camphill Kimberton’s vision for the future was summed up as: “to do what
we are doing better, more efficiently, and with deepened commitment to each other as valued
friends and companions, hoping to be of real and valuable service to the world beyond our
village!” The goal was set and the village community followed through - and continues to do
so today.
Editor’s note: Our fall newsletter will focus on the next chapter of our history, 2000-present.
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NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. Postage
PAID
Pottstown, PA
PERMIT #307
PO Box 1045, 1601 Pughtown Rd.
Kimberton, PA 19442
Phone: 610-935-0300
Fax: 610-935-8896
www.camphillkimberton.org
address service requested
CRAFT SHOP
Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
etsy.com/shop/KimbertonHillsCrafts
CAMPHILL CAFE
Wednesday-Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm
SANKANAC CSA
Harvesting May-October
Pay as you Wish Thursdays come to Camphill Café
Camphill Village Kimberton Hills’ Camphill Café announced a new program this summer to encourage community and generosity while
sharing delicious and nutritious food.
The Camphill Café introduced Pay As You Wish Thursdays, beginning on July 11. Patrons are encouraged to come and share a meal at the
Café, and pay for the meal with any amount. Meals will cost whatever you want to pay.
“we are taking
another step forward
to welcome the larger
community”
“The Café is very unique compared to other restaurants and features collaborative work by village residents and
volunteers,” says Hilla Haut, café manager. “We are surrounded by the beauty of the land around us and our
eco-friendly designed building. By offering one day a week that visitors can come for a delicious, nutritious lunch
where customers pay as they can, we are taking another step forward to welcome the larger community.”
The potential benefit of this program is twofold: Above-the-cost proceeds go to cover meals for customers who
cannot pay the full amount and to help support the residents of Camphill Kimberton; and for those in need, the
healthy meal provides great nutrition at whatever price they can afford.
Haut’s decision was inspired by Karma Kitchen, a restaurant that opened in Berkeley in 2007, by several volunteers
inspired to seed the value of a “gift economy.” There are no prices for the meals, you give a donation of what you
are able to help pay for others’ meals. Their motto is: Your meal is paid for by someone before you, and now it’s your
chance to pay it forward.
Haut takes inspiration from Nipun Mehta, who with others imagined the
concept of Karma Kitchen, and has said, “The more I smile, the more I do
smile. The more I love, the more love I have to give. So, when you give
externally, you receive internally. ... If you stay in touch with your inner truth,
you will come alive with joy, purpose, and gratitude. You will tap into the law
of abundance. May you discover that to be truly selfish, you must be generous.
In giving, may you fully experience what it means to receive.”
The Camphill Café, in the heart of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, serves
seasonal foods grown both biodynamically and organically in Camphill
Kimberton’s gardens. The Café was recently renovated and features
geothermal heating and air conditioning, natural solar tube lighting and
outdoor seating. The café is open Wednesdays – Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.