Greetings

Dear Community,

As some of you already know, Amala is in a period of exciting transformation and that includes our newsletter. With the help of our friends at Namaste Interactive, we’ve put together a newsletter we hope will be easier for you to read, share and enjoy. We apologize for flooding your inboxes with email after email over the years. Ideally, this new format, a commitment to send fewer newsletters a month, and an increased focus on social media, will enable us to communicate more effectively as we bring our community closer together in the process. If you haven’t already done so, please friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – just click the links above.

In addition to the newsletter, we’ve also been hard at work revamping our website. The new site will be launching in the next several weeks. We’re excited and hopeful that the new website will allow you to more easily identify how you wish to serve as well as increase the ways in which we can connect as community.

Why all the changes? Simply put; we’re growing. Our community, our projects, our work in the world … all growing. This is the first year since our inception that we will not be able to accommodate all the youth and volunteers that wish to attend both Camp Indigo and the Global Youth Peace Summit. More and more youth are feeling the call to unite as Peace Leaders and more and more volunteers are wanting to grow through service to these amazing youth. We need your help to support this growing movement. Last week, we launched our first-ever stewardship program at Amala. Since then, we have received tremendous support and now have nearly 30 community members committed to helping Amala sustain and grow its projects. Our goal is 100 stewards by July 1st. To become a steward of Amala, please click here.

As always, thank you for your service,

Ryan Jordan
Amala Foundation

Nectar’s 1st Annual Good Karma Bazaar This Saturday, June 4th 4:00pm – 8:00pm Amala Foundation Tickets $8, children under 7 free. Style Show, Hundreds of Fairly-Traded Treasures, Music, Food From Contigo, Silent Auction… And More! More info

Community Yard Sale Fundraiser Saturday, June 11th 8:30am – 3:00pm Amala Foundation Accepting Donated Items Now Thru June 10th. Email info@amalafoundation.org to coordinate pick up and drop off. More info

Za Boom Ba Community Jam Wednesday, July 6 7:00pm – 9:00pm Mercury Hall Hundreds Of Drums. Lots Of Energy. Starring You. More info

Featured Project

Camp Indigo
A Day Camp for Children Ages 4-11
June 20-24th
9:00am – 3:30pm
Registration Is Closed. Camp Is Full.

For the first time, Camp Indigo is completely full weeks before the first day of camp. We sincerely apologize to all of you who will be unable to attend this year. We have created a waiting list in case any spots become available. Please email Kristen Gerhard for more information at campindigo@amalafoundation.org. Also, for those of you who plan on attending, please make sure you have filled out a volunteer form (see below). The next volunteer meeting will take place at Amala on DATE NEEDED HERE. Due to increased demand, it is our hope that next Summer we will be able to host two weeks of Camp Indigo. Stay tuned for details.

Volunteer (volunteer form)

Featured Video

Approximately 70% of the youth who participate in the One Village Project and attend the Global Youth Summit are on scholarship. It costs $775 for a youth to attend the Summit and $1000 for a youth to attend the Summit AND year-long One Village Project. If you would like to help sponsor a youth or know a business, organization, or congregation that would like to sponsor a youth, please email us at info@amalafoundation.org. For more details on the Summit and One Village Project, please click on the video below.



View here

On May 15th, approximately 50 people from our community united with over 200 inmates inside San Quentin prison for Amala’s 1st annual Peace Walk. It was a moving experience, unlike any most of us had ever witnessed. One of the Champions For Children (the group of inmates that helped organize the Peace Walk) commented on the event the following day. Here’s what he had to say:

The poet Rumi says ‘out beyond ideas of wrong-doing & right-doing there is a field. I'll meet you there.’

Yesterday, we all met on such a field. Here the game is not a game. No one wins unless & until everyone wins. The line between victim & perpetrator no longer ran between ‘I’ & ‘other.’ I am you, you are me, together we became ‘Love.’

Love cares as much about the enemy as it does a friend. Love is the only justice & the only victory there is. It does not want anyone destroyed. No more kids hurt no war, no violence - what would such a world look like? On May 15th, 2011 San Quentin held it's first peace walk, partnering w/ Amala Foundation's Global Youth Peace Summit.

God was ever present, we experienced Love, Caring & Compassion - hearing open, honest sharing. Tears fell, hearts broke all the while experiencing freedom. Yes, here at San Quentin Prison - freedom! (this, being written by a guy serving a prison sentence 50 years to life) . Freedom to choose to love, not hate. Freedom to allow our loves to make a positive influence upon this world.

I on behalf of Champions for Children say thank you! Thank you for coming to our humble home & trusting in humanity.”

WE NEED YOUR DONATED ITEMS!

We are hosting a Community Yard Sale Fundraiser on June 11th at the Amala Foundation. In order to make it a huge success, we’re asking for donated items, big or small, to sell at our yard sale. You can drop off small household items at Amala. For larger items, please call Jonathan at 512.476.884.

Read More

Emily Fitzgerald of Microbial Earth will be leading a compost-building workshop at The Amala Foundation on July 9th from 10:00am – 1:00pm. This will be an opportunity to enjoy time together and help to make our community even more green. All are welcome.