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Merit Makers

Every week, there are seen and unseen heroes that help keep Kadampa Center running.
Here are just a few!

Thanks go out this week to our Adopt-a-Stream team that spent their Saturday morning making our world prettier and cleaner! Dorothy Robson & Dylan Hatfield, Sandra & Alex Hess, Olivea Gomez& Vivian Magarino-Gomez, David & Elise Strevel, Julia McCollum and Barry Judge pulled 8 bags of trash out of the Johnson Lake shore. We appreciate you guys and so does our world.

Thanks go out this week to Tom Stanton for becoming a new Wednesday trash/recycling tidy up guy. We always need help keeping things clean and tidy around here and Tom is a new volunteer offering help. Thanks for your joyful effort Tom, you are appreciated!

Thanks go out this week to our seasonal cleaning crew of Gary Mickey, Elise Strevel and Joey Gooch. They gave up a gorgeous Saturday morning to clean our windows so the stupa view is unobstructed, make our lobby and library tidy and make our bathrooms sparkle. We all appreciate your effort and look forward to the next seasonal cleaning day where we can come together as a team to offer service to our Center.

Steve Hale has stepped down as a Board Member and a puja was offered on his behalf at Kopan with this dedication: "For the dedication and amazing offering of service by Steve Hale at Kadampa Center. May the blessings he has brought to the Center by serving on the Board of Directors, survive and spread for eons to come and may all the seeds planted in the minds of all who have benefited from Steve's service to our Center and our teachers, ripen in the future enlightenment of all beings. Thank you Steve for your years of service."

Thanks go out this week to Patti Pandya, Gary Mickey and Venerable Lhamo for assisting in setting up the Tara altar on a consistent basis when we have Saturday sessions of "Making Praises to the 21 Taras." There is a lot of work that goes into moving furniture, setting up the altar, transferring the Taras into place and making everything beautiful so participants may make offerings before the practice begins. Thank you guys for your joyful effort!

Thanks go out this week to Joey Gooch for spending many hours polishing the prayer wheels both inside and out. Not only are they beautiful to look at they are inviting to spin; sending compassion and loving kindness to all beings! Thank you Joey!

Venerable Amy's visit could only happen in interdependence on so many dedicated people! Special thanks to Suzy Boehm and Linda Saah, who coordinated drivers, volunteers and Venerable Amy's housing host, as well as seeing to innumerable little details behind the scenes. Thanks also to our financial sponsors for making her visit possible, and to the folks who drove, greeted, set up offering bowls, offered beverages to Venerable Amy, and to everyone who came to hear the teachings.

Thanks go out this week to Dorothy Robson for donating her time, effort and business acumen in dealing with our mold issue in the education building. Thanks also to Dorothy, Jennifer Kozaczek, Jason Jenkins and Jill Marie for cleaning up in the education building in preparation for remediation. Buildings age and we appreciate all those who help keep us safe and healthy!

Thanks go out this week to all the Dakas and Dakinis that helped during Losar! Volunteers served up the yummy rice, tea and cookies. Joey Gooch and Monica Schario showed us two beautiful Tibetan folk dances while the young Tibetan community shared stories, sang a song and enjoyed the holiday while miles away from home. Thanks to everyone for making this Losar so festive!

Thanks go out this week to our anonymous donors for their loving gift of a new sofa set in the nursery. It will be so wonderful having children cuddled, babies nursed, visiting teachers relax and meetings held all in in comfort. Thanks so much for your kind donation!! We appreciate you!

Thanks go out to this week to Lauri Robbins for inspiring us all to donate and deliver our merit boxes this season. Over the past 16 years, the Merit Box project has collected and distributed more than $1,000,000 to FPMT projects around the world. Our own dear Kadampa Center has received extremely helpful grants for 4 of the 5 Light of the Path retreats! Thank you Lauri for making this project a success!

Thanks go out this week to David Hinds and Renate Puckett for keeping us supplied with water in our cafe. David and Renate have brought us 5 gallon jugs for years. This has saved us time and funds and we thank you for your generosity, consistency and quenching our thirst! We appreciate YOU!

Thanks go out this week to Tim Mulhern, who has accepted the position of Facility Team Leader for Kadampa Center. In his new role, Tim will lead the Handy Helpers Team to facilitate the management of projects – large and small – to keep our Center in tip-top shape! He'll also coordinate efforts with Grounds Manager Joey Gooch and the Serenity Gardeners. Thank you, Tim, for taking on this role and offering your time and service to our precious Center.

Thanks go out this week to Link Freedom for keeping our kitchen tidy. Link comes in on Fridays to join us for Lunch Bunch then heads to the kitchen to make everything ready for Sunday morning. Thanks Link, for taking time out of your week to serve our Center behind the scenes. We appreciate YOU!

Thanks go out this week to all those who supported the Annual Appeal whether by giving financially, in-kind donations, offering service or planning for prostrations this year. Together we made it possible not only to reach our goal, we surpassed it! Thank you so much for believing in the Vision of Kadampa Center and supporting the place we all love so deeply.

For our last merit maker of the year, we'd like to thank EVERYONE! So many helpful hearts and hands come together to make Kadampa Center a wonderful community for all of us. Know that if you have done anything, no matter how small, to benefit the Center, we ALL appreciate YOU! YOU continue to make our vision for a compassionate community realized. Happy New Year!

Thanks go out this week to Kyle Hager, Dana Trent and Fred Eaker plus all those that popped in early or stayed late to help with the Holiday Party this year. We had a wonderful time together and appreciate all the kindness and effort. Thanks also to Vivian Magarino-Gomez for setting up the children's display of art, drumming and the wonderful video they made. It's great to celebrate with our Dharma friends!

Thanks go out this week to Julie Cox for kindly and patiently editing our "This Week" email. Julie makes sure all the links are valid, words are spelled correctly and the dates/times match everywhere. We appreciate your detailed mind and willingness to be patient with our errors! Thanks Julie for making "This Week" spot on.

Thanks go out this week to Tim Mulhern for single handily sorting our Dharma from holy images then with heartfelt practice, burning the Dharma per Lama Zopa Rinpoche's wishes. This is a highly detailed job and we appreciate Tim's diligence. We're just sorry for everyone else who doesn't get to Dharma sort now! (Don't worry, we'll always have more.) Thanks Tim for your time, patience and practice!

When Geshe Gelek is away, we call on senior students to lead Sunday mornings, tapping into their skills, experience and practice to offer inspiring and interesting programs to the whole community. These kind folks bring a wealth of insights on living in the Dharma to share with us all, and their offerings enrich our practice and understanding. Many thanks to those who stepped up in November: Karen Edwards, Denise Flora and Christy Batts.

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