Skip to content

Community Service Work by Lotus Center

A lot of folks know Lotus Center for being southwest New Mexico’s community space to learn and practice meditation, yoga, and other forms of mindful movement. That recognition means a great deal to us, and will continue to work steadfastly to maintain the community’s confidence and trust.

Did you know that your Lotus Center has also launched a number of community service projects? It’s true, and we’re proud to have the community’s trust in this charitable work as well.

Recently, Lotus applied for exemption from real estate taxes with the Grant County Assessor’s office. As part of that application, the Assessor asked us to list Lotus Center’s “charitable” activities. Upon compiling and reviewing the list we were, frankly a bit surprised and humbled by its length and breadth of our charitable work over the last 12 months. We’d like to share the list with you . . . it’s provided below. 

As you will read, the overwhelming majority of our community service work is provided by donation, with no one ever being turned away for lack of funds. It’s through Lotus’ financial stability that we are able to offer this extensive list of services. And, in turn, it’s through the generosity of the people of our community that Lotus Center enjoys the financial stability that we do. Simply and gratefully stated: Without support from donors like you, we wouldn’t make anywhere near the beneficial impact that we do in our little corner of the world.

Give Grandly, which is May 6, is a wonderful opportunity to support your non-profit, community-owned Lotus Center. To make a gift to Lotus Center, or any other charity that enhances our quality of life, please visit www.GiveGrandly.org anytime between May 3 and May 9.

Thank you for your consideration,

Tina Oldknow, Fundraising Committee Co-chair

Jeff Goin, Executive Director

Charitable Activities in 2022 and 2023

Yoga in Public Schools (“YIPS”): The mission for YIPS is to bring secular yoga classes, as part of their Physical Education curriculum, to public schools in Grant County. Since the program’s inception in 2017, Lotus instructors have taught yoga to students at the following schools: 

  • Bayard Elementary School
  • San Lorenzo Elementary School 
  • La Plata Middle School 
  • Guadalupe Montessori Elementary School 
  • Cliff Schools 
  • Silver High School 
  • Snell Middle School 
  • Jose Barrios Elementary School
  • Aldo Leopold High School

YIPS is provided at no cost to the schools or the students.

Meditation at Aldo Leopold Middle School (“Aldo”): In response to a request from teachers at Aldo, Lotus Center dispatched one of our meditation instructors to lead weekly meditation classes to all five homeroom classes at the middle school. This meditation instruction is provided at no cost to the students or the school.

Nonviolent Communication (“NVC”): In November of 2022, Lotus Center partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City (“UU”) to provide a training in NVC, as presented in the text of the same title by author Marshall Rosenberg. For this weekend training, Lotus and the UU retained a Truth or Consequences-based certified NVC trainer to conduct the training which was attended by 35 people. An outgrowth of that training is a weekly, ongoing NVC “Practice Group,” which is offered at Lotus Center by donation with no one ever being turned away for lack of funds.

Undoing Racism: Undoing Racism is a Lotus Center campaign and blog site that provides articles, videos, and other resources to help people become more informed about historical and contemporary issues of race and racism. The blog was conceived in response to the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. Use of this blogsite is provided free of charge. 

Heart Conversations: Heart Conversations, sharing circles that follow a format similar to that of 12-step recovery meetings, were started as a means for people to connect with one and another during the sheltering-in-place period of the COVID-19 pandemic. These sharing circles were organized by, and hosted at Lotus Center and is offered by donation with no one ever being turned away for lack of funds.

Self-care Day at Snell Middle School: In response to a request from Snell administrators, Lotus Center dispatched one of our meditation teachers to lead guided meditations as part of a self-care day for the school’s faculty and staff. We were happy to provide this service free of charge.

Mental Health Awareness Month at WNMU: In response to a request from the Student Life department at Western, Lotus Center dispatched one of our meditation teachers to lead guided meditations as part of school’s Mental Health Awareness Month (November of 2022). We were happy to provide this service free of charge.

Screening of The Wisdom of Trauma: Last year Lotus Center partnered with Silver Sexual Assault Support Services and PFLAG to produce a public screening of The Wisdom of Trauma, a film that examines trauma and the common consequences of trauma which include anxiety, chronic illness and substance abuse. The film, which we screened at Silco Theater, was open to the public on a donation basis with no one being turned away for lack of funds.

Trauma-informed Yoga and Meditation Trainings: In January and February of this year, Lotus Center retained Joshua Rex Vanderhoof, a professional educator specializing in trauma, to lead two half-day trainings in order for yoga and meditation instructors to incorporate trauma recovery methods in all of their yoga and meditation classes. These trainings were offered to the instructors free of charge.

Public Talks: In the summer of 2022 and the spring of 2023, Lotus Center hosted three different speakers – Amita Schmidt, Allan Cooper, and Michael Freeman – for lectures on meditation that were open to the public. These Public Talks were offered by donation with no one being turned away for lack of funds.

Screening of My Octopus Teacher: On April 18 of this year Lotus Center, partnering with the High Desert Humane Society will offer a public screening of My Octopus Teacher, an academy award-winning film that, among other things, addresses the connection between humans, animals, and the natural world. The film, which we will screen at Silco Theater, will be open to the public on a donation basis with no one being turned away for lack of funds.