Dear Sangha Friends,
Nearing the end of this extraordinary year, in which our commitment to the Dharma and practice has sustained and supported us, we find ourselves ever grateful for you, our friends and supporters! Your continued generosity has enabled us to pay the bills and maintain our Dharma Center, even though we have been unable to dwell in our home since March. We want to take this opportunity to update you and express our gratitude.
With the safety of our Sangha members uppermost in mind, sadly, we do not know when we will be able to resume our usual meetings. We are encouraged by how well everyone has adapted their full schedule of activities, including weekly sittings and Dharma talks, one-day retreats, classes, book groups, board and committee meetings, and a range of other activities to online. Almost all programming is now conducted via Zoom videoconferencing. Some Sanghas have even reported increased participation in many events!
Because of the success of online programming, the Dharma Center Board has taken steps to respond to the Sustaining Sanghas’ expected need for enhanced online capabilities. When we are finally able to open our doors to meeting in-person, this new technology will allow sangha members to participate who otherwise would not be able to–whether because of distance, transportation, illness or physical impairment, or other factors. When COVID restrictions are relaxed, a number of sangha members may still be reluctant to resume in-person participation. To address these needs, we have acquired the audio/video hardware to allow remote participation in onsite programming when those activities resume.
Also, this year we had an amazing response to our appeal for funds to pay for a new roof! And then you really stepped up again to our matching funds challenge, and donated the entire amount needed for the solar panels that will be installed this December. We anticipate the full benefits of the solar panels will begin to accrue in mid 2021. We are pleased to have taken this step towards sustainability, acknowledging that how we live in the world is an expression of the Dharma in our lives. Deepest bows for your amazing support.
For now, our Dharma hall is quiet and empty but for the cushions and chairs awaiting the return of Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. We continue to rely on your generosity to sustain the Center as we prepare for a possible reopening sometime next year. We anticipate that the Center will require additional income to support vital services that have been provided on a volunteer basis until now. So far our generous monthly donors pay for most of the everyday expenses of maintaining the building. These monthly gifts from sustaining donors provide stability. It is not surprising that during this year the number of monthly donors has decreased. It is vital for survival that this trend reverses in the coming year!
If you are not yet a monthly sustaining donor, or are a lapsed donor, dana at any level is much appreciated. Pledging a monthly donation on our website with your credit card or arranging with your bank to send a bank check automatically each month generates a stable stream to keep the teachings alive. Monthly amounts of any size add up to a significant gift over the year, really helping with budgeting, and are deeply appreciated. One-time, or annual donations, whether towards our general budget or in response to a specific need, are also most welcome, especially as the year draws to a close!
With your help we can continue to provide a home for our Sanghas and a refuge to all who seek an end to suffering. Please join us in making a gift to the Center today.
With gratitude, wishing you a healthy and safe new year ahead,
Barbara Colton, President, on behalf of the Dharma Center Board
P.S.
Did You Know?!!…
This year the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act offers significant tax incentives to stimulate charitable giving. All taxpayers (those who itemize and those who use the standard deduction) can deduct $300 in charitable giving to public nonprofits in 2020. And for those who itemize their taxes, the CARES Act significantly raises the amount of the charitable giving deductible from 60% of a filer’s adjusted gross income (AGI) to 100% of AGI. There’s never been a more compelling moment to give! More details HERE
Or mail checks made out to Sacramento Dharma Center to
3111 Wissemann Drive, Sacramento, 95826, attention, Linda Dekker