Help us create a larger community

Please take a few moments to read the following thoughts from one of our day volunteers, a high school student named Tanner, who described Camphill Kimberton in a college admissions essay:

Tanner

Heat bakes the area around my feet as I reach through the spiny leaves surrounding the cucumbers. Dirt covers my clothing and cakes under my fingernails. Although the conditions are harsh, the fields of plants continue to grow with vigor. The smells of ripening vegetables permeate the air. These mid-July farm conditions may not sound like a place where one might find contentment but the experience has served me well, heightening my respect for others and reaffirming my appreciation for the opportunities I have.  My sense of awareness, both in my role on the farm and in my maturity, put me at ease here.  

I volunteer at the garden that is the nucleus of Camphill Kimberton. While working, I ponder what life must be like for a farmer who battles these conditions to earn a living.  A farmer’s life is harsh; yet, he labors tirelessly and takes pride in his effort to benefit his family and community. While I shuffle on my knees in search of the last fresh tomato of the day, I am thankful for the experience that is so different from my own routine.  

Working here nurtures my respect for others, including one of the villagers, Andy. Andy has worked and lived at Camphill Kimberton for 34 years. His dedication is extraordinary. The farm means everything to him and offers him a complete sense of pride and purpose. I regularly work beside Andy and help him with various tasks. He makes me genuinely happy with his humor and overall work ethic. It is fulfilling to work at Camphill Kimberton because I am helping to sustain the Village’s mission.  I am rewarded by the positive feeling of sharing myself with people like Andy. I enjoy teaching, laughing with, and being a friend to the villagers.  In these relationships and while toiling under adverse conditions, I feel a growing maturity in which I truly appreciate my opportunities.  Working alongside dedicated villagers such as Andy is a privilege and one in which I intend to continue.  

Andy

More than 200 day volunteers, like Tanner, regularly work with us each year.  When we are asked, “how many people do you serve?” our answer is always a long one, because we don’t serve anyone; we all work together, with friends, neighbors and volunteers.  We do this with uncommon care and attention, while at the same time making it possible for all who come in contact with Camphill Kimberton to benefit in many ways.

Know that your financial support not only helps the lives of those who live in the village, but it helps to create a larger community. The impact of that is immeasurable.

Please help to make this possible with your contribution to our Village Support Fund – your gift will inspire and enrich many lives.  25% of our annual operating budget - which finances our workshop and household needs - is raised through charitable donations.  To make a secure, online contribution, please click here. Thank you!

Camphill Kimberton's Wish List

When thinking about ways to contribute either on #GivingTuesday or throughout the holiday season, consider making an in-kind gift to Camphill Kimberton.  There are many items which our households and workshops can use, and perhaps you are no longer using or you might want to purchase new as a contribution.

Please see the list below.  To donate any of these items, please contact Bernadette@camphillkimberton.org.  Thank you for your continued support!

Household Wish List

• outdoor patio set
• a picnic table or other outside table
• dining room table plus chairs (12)
• new eco-friendly frying pans or woks
• placemats and napkins
• toaster
• toaster oven
• pressure canner
• large food processor
• new bath towels and hand towels
• a large area rug
• other smaller area rugs
• vacuum cleaner
• garden cart
• rakes
• brooms
• gardening equipment
• trash cans and recycling bins
• massage chair
• acoustic guitar
• tipi or yurt
• wheelchair
• canoe

Workshop Wish List

• wheelbarrows
• garden carts
• wooden bushel apple boxes
• long handled clippers (loppers)
• leather gloves
• servicing for hand bells
• hand tools
• lawn mower

In Memoriam: Herbert Kurt Wolf

Herbert Wolf died peacefully the morning of October 25, 2013 in Serena House, with coworker Justin by his side.

Herbert was born on May 14, 1936, in Frankfort, Germany. During the war, his father was taken to Auschwitz and later his family emigrated to the United States. Herbie himself suffered through many bombing raids, and one to his school left him with an injury that was to significantly alter his life. After his father died, he began to have an unsatisfactory life in New York City.

His mother found Camphill through the Christian Community. After meeting Hubert Zipperlen, Herbie came to live in Kimberton Hills—the year was 1975. There he met friends who would accompany him through many wonderful years—Eva—his girlfriend, who as Herbie said, he sometimes argued with, but they always made up—and Herta, for whom Herbie had such deep gratitude. Andrew Hoy, Carrie and George Riley (now Carrie Schuchard), Helen, Sherry, and many other village friends laughed with him, helped him when he became legally blind, and benefited from his vegetable cutting (he could cut onions without crying!).


He was among the first residents of Serena House, accompanying Karen Arthur, Debra Falkenberg, John Gardener, Ed Patyk, Sabine Bertsche, Eleanor Shartle, Regina Vaughan and others. Herbie made friends with young coworkers and formed deep and lasting relationships with many of them, particularly when they could speak German and liked sports! Herbert and Bob Hollenbach, former Board member, had a very special relationship. Bob and Herbie regularly visited Philadelphia together. Kenneth Loesberg, Herbie’s dentist, recognized that Herbie was reluctant to retry a cataract operation after the first one was not successful, and found a new doctor for him. Herbie agreed to give it one more try, and this time his vision was significantly improved.  Herbie also had special friendships with many other day volunteers.

Herbert remains in our hearts as a dedicated Camphiller, a comedian, and a man of great heart and spirit.

Camphill Kimberton is proud to join #GivingTuesday

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills is proud to announce we have joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort that will harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the Thanksgiving Holiday and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world.

Taking place December 3, 2013 – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are, today, synonymous with holiday shopping.

If you make a contribution to Camphill Kimberton on December 3 or donate your time and energy to an important cause on December 3, we ask you to dedicate it in honor of someone special in your life. Let us know through Facebook or Twitter, or email bernadette@camphillkimberton.org and in celebration of #GivingTuesday, Camphill Kimberton will send a holiday greeting to your honoree - helping to spread the joy of giving.

Click here to make your gift: www.camphillkimberton.org/giving.

And why not spread the word about the good you have done?

If you want to become a part of Camphill Kimberton's #GivingTuesday initiative, visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CamphillVillageKimbertonHills or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cvkh.  We ask you to share our message, reach out to family and friends, and support this movement while supporting Camphill Kimberton.

Thank you for your support!

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow #GivingTuesday (https://twitter.com/GivingTues) on Twitter.

Camphill Kimberton part of PASA's Good Gifts Guide

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills is proud to be a part of the Good Gifts Guide, a holiday shopping guide from our friends at the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture (PASA).

As a service to their members, PASA created an online holiday shopping guide to promote fellow members and the variety of goods and services they offer. Take a look, we think there is something for everyone!

Camphill Kimberton's craft shop, which sells items handmade in our workshops, is open from Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Items include:

from our weavery - scarves, hats, capes, table runners
from our fiber arts workshop - silk scarves, felted dryer balls, felted accessories
from our pottery - mugs, vases, bowls, plates, ornaments
from our herb garden - tea, culinary herb blends, lavender gifts

and many more items, including biodynamic planting calendars, honey, knit animals and dolls, seat cushions, drop spindles, and woolen angels.

We hope you'll stop by to visit and shop.  Happy Holidays!

7th Annual Camphill Challenge - a success!

Over 400 cyclists took the Camphill Challenge on October 20, 2013!

Our 7th annual Camphill Challenge bike ride was once again blessed with incredible weather, dedicated volunteers, and inspired cyclists.  Funds raised by the event make a huge difference in the lives of children, youth, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Camphill Special School, Camphill Soltane, and Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.

Click here to check out more photos from the event.

Special thanks to:

All of our generous sponsors

Kimberton Waldorf School for hosting the ride

Iron Town Cycles for providing roving riders

EMS Collegeville and Phoenix Cycles for their SAG support

Twice Baked for providing great tunes at the picnic

All the tireless and hardworking volunteers that helped before, during and after the event

Save the date for our 8th annual ride:

Saturday, October 18, 2014

At Camphill Kimberton, crafting a different way to live

Thank you to Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Kristin E. Holmes and photographer Charles Fox for this lovely article on Camphill Kimberton, which ran on October 5, 2013:


http://articles.philly.com/2013-10-05/news/42721660_1_camphill-soltane-disabilities-communities