For the third year running we partnered with Retreat Guru to reach out to centers that hadn’t participated in the Gathering before. We ran a contest to win one free place in the annual Gathering funded through the Omega Scholarship Fund and were delighted to select the following participant;
Michael Burbank, New York, USA
Director
Menla
In Michael’s entry into the contest he wrote, “I have wanted to attend this gathering for some time, and this year it’s finally in a region near Menla, the center I’ve been working for for 16 years! I LOVE Retreat Guru and I would be so thrilled should I be so fortunate as to win this contest. Thanks for including me in the contest!”
Christine Lines of HCN remembered being in touch with Nate the Assistant Director of Menla last year after Cameron from Retreat Guru introduced us and felt keen to build on this connection. When Michael submitted his registration form he mentioned he’d be commuting every day and didn’t need accommodation.
Michael wrote, “I plan to be there every day all day. Omega is about 30 min from my house (I live halfway between Menla and Omega). I would love to stay overnight, just to experience Omega’s overnight hospitality myself, but it seems a shame to waste a spot on me, when I live so close-by.”
This meant we were able to share the value of the Omega Scholarship place offered to the contest winner and partially subside another participant for the remaining cost who had requested support from the HCN Bursary Fund.
This was offered to Jon Hass, Finance Director of Breitenbush Hot Springs, a worker owned co-operative located in the Oregon Cascades. Representatives of BBHS have participated many times before and also hosted the event in 2008, however, it will be the first time for Jon and it’s a delight to expand the mutual learning and support throughout the network.