Welcome to Insight Western Mass (IWM)
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Please join us in bringing practice into everyday life through sangha service. For more information about the roles and responsibilities of the Board and the application process, click here. The Board application can be found here. If you would like to discuss your ideas and have energy to lead, or want to learn more about existing volunteer opportunities, please reach out to us at leadership@insightwma.org. |
Sangha Stewards
Although there are others who also help the Center, the following volunteers have an ongoing leadership commitment:
The Sangha Leadership page includes more information about IWM leadership.
Although there are others who also help the Center, the following volunteers have an ongoing leadership commitment:
- Catalina Arrubla - Friday Night Sit Coordinator, Host, Greeter
- Suzanne Kaz - Administrative Volunteer
- Adam Cohen - Google calendar, IWM Listserv, IT
- Adam Cohen, Sarah Bankert, Sarah Malzone - Family Gathering Coordinators
- Rosemary Cushing-King - Website Maintenance
- Emilie Woodward - Beloved Community Builders Coordinator
- Alyssa Lovell - Queer & Trans Sitting Coordinator
- Audrey Morse - Tea Station Caretaker
- Gary Nadeau - Facilities Manager, Host, Greeter
- Lauren Isherwood - Zoom/host Coordinator
- Seeking Volunteer Coordinator
The Sangha Leadership page includes more information about IWM leadership.
Zoom Hosts
For all events we have a volunteer who handles the logistics of opening the Zoom meeting, holding a safe virtual space for all, passing along student questions (or turning microphones on and off depending on the number of participants, and to lock the session so no internet trolls find a way in or to quickly kick out anyone who's behaving inappropriately.
For all events we have a volunteer who handles the logistics of opening the Zoom meeting, holding a safe virtual space for all, passing along student questions (or turning microphones on and off depending on the number of participants, and to lock the session so no internet trolls find a way in or to quickly kick out anyone who's behaving inappropriately.
Greeters and Hosts
For each events, we need someone to serve as Host (events with registration) or Greeter (dharma talks) in order to create and hold a welcoming and comfortable space for the participants and for the teachers.
The responsibilities include the following:
A checklist of tasks is available for you to look over ahead of time, plus we would be happy to go over it with you in person, via email, or on the phone, in order to answer any questions you might have.
This is a wonderful way to offer non-financial dana and you are welcome reduce or eliminate your registration dana in exchange as you see fit. It's also a great way to get to know more people in the sangha (community) and foster relationships that support your practice. We hope you'll consider it. Please contact general@insightwma.org if you're interested.
Facilities
Gary Nadeau coordinates volunteers to take care of our space. We have a cleaning team that rotates weekly to clean and vacuum. We also need people to take care of the plants (Green Metta Team), tidy up and stock the tea station, and take care of exchanging empty water bottles for full one. If you're interested in helping with facilities, contact Gary Nadeau.
Administration, Finance, Fundraising
If you have computer or other administrative skills, we need assistance with data entry, spreadsheets, filing, thank you notes, flyers, etc. Contact general@insightwma.org if you're interested.
Community Service Committee: Adi Bemak, Barbara Quinn, David Axelrad, Denise Amato, Susan Carson, Denise Cormier, Ginny Christenson, Jean Esther, Jean Marie Casbarian, Jen Cannon, Kathleen Trestka, Leah Esrick, Lisa Melnick, Rachel Rahn, Rebecca Bradshaw, Rebecca Burwell, Rick Hart, Rick Kristek, and Sue Rama.
At our Visioning Meeting, a number of folks expressed interest in helping the sangha do community service. Our first project was having a group contribute, prepare and serve several dinners over the winter and spring at the Interfaith homeless shelter in Northampton. We now contribute, prepare and serve one dinner per month at the shelter. Please let us know if you want to become involved. Anyone who would like to contribute food and drink and/or help serve them, please contact general@insightwma.org.
Beloved Community Builders: Andrew Berger, Devin Berry, Lore Detenber, Jean Esther, Bernadine Mellis, Tara Mulay, trellis stepter, Emilie Woodward
With the Buddha’s teachings as a guide, BCB focuses on addressing and healing the suffering of interpersonal, structural, and institutional oppression. We seek to co-create a radically welcoming sangha that is truly open to all people and in all the ways they identify including but not limited to: race, religion, ethnicity, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or age.
BCB’s current focus is racism. We recognize that racial equity involves access to resources, including the dharma. As the BCB meets, we share our experiences and learn about race, privilege, and power to cultivate wisdom. We aim to become a resource for the IWM community by sponsoring workshops, retreats and dharma talks as well as addressing issues of inclusion that arise within our community.
Programming Committee: Candace Cassin, Hal Fales, Anne Fine, Jessica Harwood (Programming Coordinator), Manny Mansbach
The Programming Committee is a volunteer group of teachers, Board member(s), and sangha members. The Programming Committee provides leadership in programming and strives to carry out the mission of the center. The Committee reaches out to local and guest teachers to create IWM's schedule of courses, retreats, and Dharma talks. For more information, email programming@insightwma.org.
Lending Library
Our lending library of books on the dharma and related topics are are catalogued at LibraryThing. Thanks to a number of volunteers, especially Judy Maggiore, over 300 books in our lending library have been catalogued at LibraryThing. Please browse our catalogue and borrow freely. You can also subscribe to the our Library's RSS feed that alerts you to new books arriving.
We remember with gratitude Jerry Rosenthal for bequeathing his excellent collection of Buddhist works to us.
For each events, we need someone to serve as Host (events with registration) or Greeter (dharma talks) in order to create and hold a welcoming and comfortable space for the participants and for the teachers.
The responsibilities include the following:
- arrive 45 minutes early to hang signs in the building
- prepare the space
- greet and help people check in as they arrive
- register people who weren't able to do so on-line
- hand out and explain the dana envelopes
- give a brief dana talk
A checklist of tasks is available for you to look over ahead of time, plus we would be happy to go over it with you in person, via email, or on the phone, in order to answer any questions you might have.
This is a wonderful way to offer non-financial dana and you are welcome reduce or eliminate your registration dana in exchange as you see fit. It's also a great way to get to know more people in the sangha (community) and foster relationships that support your practice. We hope you'll consider it. Please contact general@insightwma.org if you're interested.
Facilities
Gary Nadeau coordinates volunteers to take care of our space. We have a cleaning team that rotates weekly to clean and vacuum. We also need people to take care of the plants (Green Metta Team), tidy up and stock the tea station, and take care of exchanging empty water bottles for full one. If you're interested in helping with facilities, contact Gary Nadeau.
Administration, Finance, Fundraising
If you have computer or other administrative skills, we need assistance with data entry, spreadsheets, filing, thank you notes, flyers, etc. Contact general@insightwma.org if you're interested.
Community Service Committee: Adi Bemak, Barbara Quinn, David Axelrad, Denise Amato, Susan Carson, Denise Cormier, Ginny Christenson, Jean Esther, Jean Marie Casbarian, Jen Cannon, Kathleen Trestka, Leah Esrick, Lisa Melnick, Rachel Rahn, Rebecca Bradshaw, Rebecca Burwell, Rick Hart, Rick Kristek, and Sue Rama.
At our Visioning Meeting, a number of folks expressed interest in helping the sangha do community service. Our first project was having a group contribute, prepare and serve several dinners over the winter and spring at the Interfaith homeless shelter in Northampton. We now contribute, prepare and serve one dinner per month at the shelter. Please let us know if you want to become involved. Anyone who would like to contribute food and drink and/or help serve them, please contact general@insightwma.org.
Beloved Community Builders: Andrew Berger, Devin Berry, Lore Detenber, Jean Esther, Bernadine Mellis, Tara Mulay, trellis stepter, Emilie Woodward
With the Buddha’s teachings as a guide, BCB focuses on addressing and healing the suffering of interpersonal, structural, and institutional oppression. We seek to co-create a radically welcoming sangha that is truly open to all people and in all the ways they identify including but not limited to: race, religion, ethnicity, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or age.
BCB’s current focus is racism. We recognize that racial equity involves access to resources, including the dharma. As the BCB meets, we share our experiences and learn about race, privilege, and power to cultivate wisdom. We aim to become a resource for the IWM community by sponsoring workshops, retreats and dharma talks as well as addressing issues of inclusion that arise within our community.
Programming Committee: Candace Cassin, Hal Fales, Anne Fine, Jessica Harwood (Programming Coordinator), Manny Mansbach
The Programming Committee is a volunteer group of teachers, Board member(s), and sangha members. The Programming Committee provides leadership in programming and strives to carry out the mission of the center. The Committee reaches out to local and guest teachers to create IWM's schedule of courses, retreats, and Dharma talks. For more information, email programming@insightwma.org.
Lending Library
Our lending library of books on the dharma and related topics are are catalogued at LibraryThing. Thanks to a number of volunteers, especially Judy Maggiore, over 300 books in our lending library have been catalogued at LibraryThing. Please browse our catalogue and borrow freely. You can also subscribe to the our Library's RSS feed that alerts you to new books arriving.
We remember with gratitude Jerry Rosenthal for bequeathing his excellent collection of Buddhist works to us.