Hello everyone.
I come to you with tremendous news about the Center. This past Sunday we ended a wonderful week of firsts at the Center for Environmental Transformation. For the first time a group of people spent a week at the renovated Center. They slept in the bunk beds built by Bill Harden. They enjoyed the wonderful kitchendesigned and built by Ted Fox, Henry Brann, Luis Santana and Don Harle. They worshipped with the people
of Sacred Heart Church as we said “good bye” to meat on Carnevale Sunday (March 6th) and they worked in our community, and found themselves transformed in ways they didn’t anticipate. It was a fabulous success, by all accounts. I want to recognize the people who worked so hard to make this effort such a fantastic success: Andrea Ferich, Tim and Cheryl Heatwole-Shenk, Cathy Nevins, Ted & Cathy Fox, Bill & Jeanne Harden, Sue Hitchcock and Eileen Borland.
of Sacred Heart Church as we said “good bye” to meat on Carnevale Sunday (March 6th) and they worked in our community, and found themselves transformed in ways they didn’t anticipate. It was a fabulous success, by all accounts. I want to recognize the people who worked so hard to make this effort such a fantastic success: Andrea Ferich, Tim and Cheryl Heatwole-Shenk, Cathy Nevins, Ted & Cathy Fox, Bill & Jeanne Harden, Sue Hitchcock and Eileen Borland.
Five and a half years ago, we sat around a table in Waterfront South, and dreamed about having a space where people could come, work with us in the gardens and neighborhood, and learn from that work about the world, their neighbors and themselves. It has happened! All the hard work that went into creating the Center for Environmental Transformation came to its fruition on Saturday morning, March 12th, when the students from Neumann University and their leaders shared with each other and with the Center staff what the week had meant to them. You can find their thoughts below.
What is so gratifying to me is that a group of people, with the help of God and the support of so many others like you, can move a dream to reality. Of course, this is a rather small dream and reality in the scheme of things, but it demonstrates an important lesson: we can work together to make our dream for the earth into a reality. We can be the change we want to see happen! We can, with the help of God and the support of our communities, work for a more just, peaceful and healthy world, not just for ourselves and our children, but for the next seven generations.
Thank you for your support. Spread the word! The Center is now open for groups to come and participate in the “great work.” Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Mark Doorley
President, Board of Trustees
The Center for Environmental Transformation
NEWS AND NOTES
1. . We have a new website design. Don’t wait one more minute to visit it. Click the link above! Many thanks to Matheau Moore and Andrea Ferich!
2. Neumann University left on Saturday, and students from Rutgers/New Brunswick arrived to work with us this week from Monday to Wednesday. They did not stay overnight, but they did get to use the Center to shower after a long day of work in the gardens. Cathy Nevins and Mark Doorley shared a meal with them in the Center, and then screened the “Poet of Poverty” and led them in a discussion of the film and the ongoing work of the Center and the other agents of change in Waterfront South.
3. . On March 27th Andrea and Mark will visit Villanova University for a screening of “Poet of Poverty,” followed by a discussion. Hopefully the discussion will spark student interest to participate in the April First Saturday.
4. April 2nd is the First Saturday. Come out and work in the gardens. Spring is upon us, and we need to get our gardens up and running. Meet behind Sacred Heart church, which is on the corner of S. Broadway and Ferry. We meet at 9AM and work til Noon.
5. On April 9th the M’Kor Shalom Synagogue of Cherry Hill and Sacred Heart Church in Camden will have a joint day-long retreat, hosted by the Center. We will work in the gardens in the morning, and engage in dialogue in the afternoon about the meaning of justice and how we can partner in the work for justice. Very exciting!
6. . Spread the word about the Center. Forward this email on to people you might think are interested in the work we are pursuing.
7. Below is the text of a letter we sent to the parents of our Neumann University visitors of the past week. At the end are some of the students’ thoughts.
Dear Parents and Administrators of Neumann University,
This past week (3/6 – 12) the Center for Environmental Transformation in Camden, NJ had the gift of working with your children and students. They arrived a little nervous and not so connected to each other. We gave them about five minutes to unload that car and took them to the “Carnevale” mass at Sacred Heart Church where they experienced a lively liturgy and a welcoming community. From that moment on, they felt connected, to us and to each other.
One of the young women told me that her cheeks were hurting because she was smiling so much. During the week they helped to demolish an old firehouse that is becoming a work space for artists; they went on an eco-tour and witnessed the environmental damage suffered by Camden while being greeted and celebrated by the neighbors of Waterfront South; they prepared the ground for potato planting on March 17th, an annual ritual; they met the Center’s chickens and they gave the game “Chicken” new meaning; they helped clean the basement of the Church in preparation for our Lenten Friday night series; they helped move plants and cleaned the sacristy of the Church and were given a tour of the bell tower and the art throughout the church; they spent time with our junior farmers and heard the stories of children who live in Camden, yet joyously work each week at the greenhouse, preparing food in our earthen bread oven.
They also roller skated, had cheese steaks on “Fat Tuesday,” and played games. They worked both on paper and in small groups to reflect on the daily work and begin the process of thinking about what they would take home and what they would like to continue to give to the city of Camden.
Before our eyes they changed. We saw students become connected to each other and stronger in their willingness to look at things differently and to express what they were feeling and experiencing. We saw them help each other. We saw them help us and they did it all with joy and graciousness. During our closing session on Saturday morning, just before they left, we realized that we had been blessed by their presence with us. Their commitment to keep alive among themselves what had been birthed during their time with us was a beautiful thing to witness. We are so grateful to you parents for your support, enabling your children to take the chance to spend time in Camden. We are grateful as well to the administrators at Neumann University who provide their students opportunities to spread their wings beyond the ordinary.
We hear that the students are going to upload photos of their time with us, so that you can be a part of it too. We hope that if you have the opportunity to come back to Camden with them that you would take the opportunity. We look forward to welcoming these students back to Camden and the Center for Environmental Transformation to continue the work that they’ve begun.
Below you will find remarks that your children and students made on Friday night as they shared with each other what the week had meant for them. We offer them to you as a gift.
Sincerely,
The Staff of the Center for Environmental Transformation
Heard from Neumann University students, commenting on what the week had meant for them
- Everyone we met here tells a story – now we have our story to tell.
- This experience showed me I belong.
- From now on I will take shorter showers.
- There is something magical about this town. I think being in this town was what helped us all come together as a group – from people who did not know each other.
- This was not the Camden I see on the news. Being here has changed my perspective of Camden – Don’t know thought it if will change my mother’s perspective but I will speak differently about Camden now?
- Had a great time here. Lots of fun. I didn’t see all the crime I expected to from seeing the news. I saw great people.
- We wanted the closeness that we saw in the people around here – we didn’t feel we had that prior to this, at Neumann.
- I was narrow minded concerning food and farms – now I can support good agriculture.
- I was nervous arriving – experienced so much hope and faith.
- Became a cohesive group – from not knowing many people.
- Our work schedule taught us to work together as a cooperative group.
- Maybe I could change others’ perspectives because my perception of Camden changed. People were all friendly to me and I didn’t expect that given the reputation one gets from the media.
- We have a ministry center at our school; we are going to each have mugs – no Styrofoam anymore. We learned that from Cheryl. Also we are going to look into how well we are doing recycling at Neumann.
- This was the most important week of my life!