Rebirth, Repair, then Rebuild! |
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Behind The Scenes:
The Community Village
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In this newsletter, we invite you on a virtual tour of our community village. Join us as we share community stories and the changes we face since the September fire. |
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Tour the Community Village |
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Our Homes
Breitenbush Hot Springs is a worker-owned cooperative. Almost all of the members of the community live on the 154 acres in this rugged and beautiful mountain setting. Unlike most jobs, at the end of our workday we don’t drive away; we have a 5-minute walking commute over the footbridge to our Community Village on the other side of the river. Our homes are rustic; many of them built nearly a century ago. Most of our community members share bathroom and cooking facilities, so Breitenbush co-workers live together closely.
Staff at Breitenbush live a unique life filled with work, home and community, all in one precious bubble. On a warm summer’s night, a walk through the village will bring the sounds of children playing, laughter as our community brothers and sisters prepare meals together, and a porch here and there filled with the sounds of guitars and singing. This is home and we are family.
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Due to the fires, what was once a large and vibrant community of about 75 year-round residents is now reduced to a much smaller community. Currently we are 15 workers doing the essential tasks to keep our community alive, including repair, infrastructure maintenance, communications and administration.
Living up here is always a challenge and for the next few months will be even more so, as fire damage increases the likelihood of flood, mud and rock slides, and falling trees. So for this winter, while living on the land, members are experiencing not only a smaller and quieter community village, with sometimes a ghost-like feel, but also putting in long hours to maintain power and heat to the buildings that survived the fire. Community members are working hard, but when work and home become one, the support system is strong and filled with a lot of love and passion for the service. We are excited to continue being a part of this amazing Breitenbush experience.
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Why We Choose Breitenbush
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Community members come to Breitenbush for a variety of reasons. We come to be in service to our values and our guests, for community, and to live an off-the-grid lifestyle surrounded by mountains, forest and river. While Breitenbush can feel like a little bit of heaven on earth, living and working here can be arduous. Working at Breitenbush requires dedication to a strong service ethic, acceptance of personal accountability, and a willingness to communicate openly and honestly. A sense of joy and excitement about our work, and a desire for creativity and productivity are why we thrive here.
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The Community in Celebration |
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I was off the land when news spread that we were in a Level Two evacuation. "Have your to-go bag packed and be ready to go." Memories of the summer fires of 2017 flooded my mind. I wasn't worried. We had been through this before and watched the fire 'slowly' inch its way toward us and then the rains came and washed away the threat to our homes and retreat center. This summer was very different. The surprise was how quickly the fire roared through the mountain, taking with it ancient forest trees, beautiful vegetation, structures and homes. Dogwood, a sweet little three room a-frame tucked in the forest, had become my home and was filled with treasures and memories. Now, it's a pile of ash on the forest floor. Taking with it many treasures of a life with four kids, their partners and my grandchildren. Treasures filled with memories of loved ones no longer with us. Treasures that cannot be replaced. Suddenly my community is evacuated, jobs are lost and my home is destroyed. It was a lot to process and a lot to heal from, but the pain that hurt the deepest was while watching my kids sift through the rubble, as we searched for any recoverable treasures that we had created together. My momma heart was broken on many levels.
Three months later I'm picking up the emotional pieces and feeling blessed to be part of a community that will be able to rise from the ashes and is supported by so many. Today I'm thankful to be given the opportunity to continue serving and help to rebuild Breitenbush. I'm now living in another cabin in our Community Village where I am slowly creating a new home and looking forward to making new memories. As a community we have a lot to heal from, but living in community means that you are never alone and there is always someone there to take your hand and lift you up. There are still difficult moments. Moments when a memory of a handmade card from my granddaughter, or a family holiday treasure that had been passed along through many generations, slips into my mind. But just as quickly as those moments come, they are replaced with a smile and thoughts of the strength of our Community, of New Beginnings.... and of Love. And there is something I have learned from the destruction of a wildfire, and that is that fire cannot destroy love. Together we find our strength. Together we survive the toughest of times and rise from the ashes.
~ Heather, Office Angel
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As a person who has forged my path with great intention, I consciously choose to live and work at Breitenbush because of the community. When I joined the Breitenbush community a year and a half ago we had a thriving tribe of 70 plus remarkable humans. Our community has shrunk considerably due to both the COVID closure and the fire evacuation.
The nourishment I received and continue to receive from the meaningful bonds created through community living is unmatched by any other way of life I have experienced. My heart breaks when I think of all the community members who not long ago called Breitenbush home but can no longer.
Restoring our community is the greatest motivation for the work I do each day to rebuild our business. My greatest hope is that Breitenbush can be reborn into an abundant cooperative that can once again be in service to our guests. I envision that hope coming to fruition through the lens of our Credo, by providing a healing retreat and conference center, which promotes holistic health, spiritual growth, and facilitates the gathering of people in celebration of the experience of life. Our community is supported by the greater community, our guests. Without our guests we could not sustain, and this reciprocity is not lost on me.
~ Maura, Office Team Coordinator
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May 2021 Be An Easier Year For All! |
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Thanks to the generosity of our guests we’ve raised and distributed over $90,000. It’s still hard going for many staff members. They weren’t just displaced from home, job and community, this has all happened during the worst unemployment crisis since The Great Depression. Thank you to all of you who have donated to the Breitenbush Community Support Fund. Your generosity has been extraordinary! May 2021 be an easier year for all.
~ Stacy Murphy
Breitenbush Community Support Team
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Let's stay connected!
Up next we will share news and images about the forest around us.
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PO Box 13249
Salem, OR, 97309
office@breitenbush.com
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Donations to support the rebuild effort are greatly appreciated and can be made here: |
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