May 2025

Dear Sangha,

Spring is here, bringing new life, color, and a deep sense of renewal. Just as birds build nests, we continue to weave a refuge together at Mountain Stream—through presence, practice, service, and generosity.

Our Village Temple—the Nevada City Insight Center—is sustained by your support. With Adam Stonebraker as our Guiding Teacher and John Travis as our Founding Teacher, and with the wisdom of our Teachers Council, we’re offering a full and evolving calendar of programs and retreats. These include deep dives into the Suttas, Chanting, Eco-Dharma, and Conscious Living and Dying—all designed to meet the diverse needs of our growing community.

As we weave this refuge, we are also expanding our reach. Sangha members continue to cook and serve monthly meals at Hospitality House, an emergency shelter and housing provider in Nevada County. Our volunteer-led Recovery Dharma program meets weekly at the Center, offering a space of refuge for those in recovery from addiction. Looking ahead, we’re preparing new threads in this tapestry of service: offering end-of-life support through the Conscious Living and Dying training, addressing eco-anxiety through the Work That Reconnects Eco-Dharma program, and envisioning future engagement with individuals in incarcerated settings. Each of these offerings is part of the larger weaving—bringing compassion, presence, and resilience into the wider world.

All of this is only possible through your participation: showing up for practice, offering your time as a volunteer, and giving what you can financially. At our recent State of the Sangha event, we shared how your generosity directly supports our teachers, programs, and outreach efforts.

In these turbulent times, our shared generosity becomes a path toward greater connection, compassion, and collective refuge. This year, through our Upholding the Dharma Campaign, we aim to raise $130,000. Your support—of any size—helps sustain this refuge we are building and weaving together, one act of generosity at a time.

Please consider making a donation by visiting www.mtstream.org/donate.

With gratitude and appreciation,
Alison Sweetser, Board President & Marcia Craighead, Philanthropy Director

And the Mountain Stream Board of Directors
Alison Sweetser, President   Priscilla Barton, Secretary   David Mazzola, Treasurer  
Marcia Craighead   Sharon Lane   Philip Vardara  Jenny Comperda  
John Travis, Founding Teacher   Adam Stonebraker, Guiding Teacher  
George Kellar, Board Advisor 

Mountain Stream is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.