“I do feel more connection.”

July 9, 2025

This week, Debra Elise shares how she’s cultivating community and connection at KCC:  

I’m grateful to KCC for the inspiration, guidance, and community it has offered me since 2013—soon after we moved to Portland. Though I had read books, attended retreats, and studied the Dharma, finding a spiritual community that now feels like a home has made all the difference.

After receiving so much benefit, these days I’m happy to give back. A few years ago I began offering a Poetry Play Retreat—along with Kate Rudigier—at SCOL. It’s been a fun way to invite sangha members to come play with words and explore their own creativity in community. These weekends are full of sharing, healing, and growing in the Dharma.

We also are hosting KCC Poetry Readings.  We had one in April and one in June.  Look for more to come!   All are welcome to bring some favorite poems to share—either your own or poems by others.

A sense of belonging can strengthen us—and we belong because we believe we belong. When I can contribute to the community I do feel more connection. We give of ourselves in whatever way works in the moment. There is no one right way, and the path is always winding and changing.


Sustaining Supporter Campaign Update

At the beginning of the campaign, we had a goal of signing up 12 new sustaining members.    We’re happy to share that 10 new sustaining members have made a recurring commitment to KCC!

Some people are newer to KCC (hi!) and others made the transition to auto-pay (thanks!).  And we still love the check-writers out there.  You know who you are. ♥

For an update on our overall goal and reaching the match, stay tuned for more information on Sunday.

We are grateful for the commitment you’ve made to the Dharma and KCC.

DONATE


Dharma of Dollars: The Tech that Connects Us All

Did you know that KCC now spends over $20,000 each year to maintain the technology that keeps our community connected? These costs include:

  • Internet service at the Portland Center and SCOL
  • Subscriptions to Zoom, Vimeo, Retreat Guru, Google Workspace, MailChimp, and Neon (donation management)
  • Website hosting and maintenance
  • Computers for staff
  • Audio-visual equipment that brings teachings to you at home

This investment has transformed the way we gather. Technology is now woven into the heart of KCC’s offerings. Many newer members have found KCC through our online morning meditations. People attend SCOL retreats via ZOOM. We have sangha members joining from different countries. Long-time members stay connected when they move or experience health challenges that keep them at home.

Whether you’re logging in from across town or across the globe, these tools make it possible for you—and so many others—to show up for the Dharma.

The reach is real. On any given Sunday, the number online can equal or exceed those who as are present in the Portland meditation hall. Each little box on the screen holds a fellow practitioner—someone choosing connection, practice, and presence. Behind the scenes, our dedicated four-person volunteer AV team (deep bows to Gryphon, Crawford, John, and Eric) keeps the Dharma flowing smoothly, week after week.

In these challenging times—marked by uncertainty, suffering, and instability—it is more important than ever to keep Dharma practice accessible. The teachings offer grounding, clarity, and compassion when they are most needed.

Will you help sustain the technology that sustains our community?
Your support ensures that KCC can continue to offer accessible, high-quality online and hybrid programs—today and into the future.  To contribute, please visit:

DONATE

And if you’d like to be trained as an AV volunteer, contact Sally Mead at .


KCC is committed to freely offering the Dharma to all.

To do so, we invite those with greater financial capacity to give a higher percentage of their income to balance the giving of others who can give less. For consideration:

If your income is $100K per year:

    • a pledge of 5% of your income would be $416/mo.
    • a pledge of 3% of your income would be $250/mo.

If your income is $75K per year,

    • a pledge of 2% of your income would be $125/mo.

If your income is $30K per year,

    • a pledge of 1% of your income would be $25/mo.

To customize your giving, contact:


Other Ways to Support KCC

Volunteering

Legacy or Planned Giving

RMDs from your IRA


KCC’s Benevolence Fund

If offering money is not possible for you in your current place in life, remember that you can turn to KCC for basic life support via a one-time request from KCC’s Benevolence Fund. Sangha members give to this fund because we know none of us are unaffected when some of us are struggling. To learn more, contact .