Merging Hearts Holistic Center

Dear Members,

 
Merging Hearts is faced with a unique opportunity at this time.  It is our intent to operate a world-class holistic center within a beautiful, natural setting where people could come for the educational and cultural experiences that would nurture the mind, heal the body, and awaken the spirit.  

The Girl Scouts of North East Ohio is selling one of their beautiful camps.  It is located here in Stark County on Riverside Avenue within Jackson Township, just north of Massillon.  This absolutely awesome piece of property has nearly 38 acres of wooded trails, a lodge, two picnic pavilions, twelve campsites, a large outdoor fire pit area, a large maintenance garage, and two bunkhouses.  The lodge would suit our needs for the present time and with some minor work could be expanded for future growth.  Furthermore, there is plenty of land available to build the Merging Hearts Holistic Center of our dreams!  Several members of the Board of Directors visited the camp, inspected the buildings and walked the land for nearly two hours.  It is simply breathtaking!  Please view the numerous pictures attached from our visit of this gorgeous property.

The Girl Scouts has presented an RFP (Request for Proposal) to those interested in purchasing this property.  We are to submit our proposal by Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by closed bid.  Within our proposal we are to explain what our development plan and intended use of the property is along with the price we are offering for the property.  The RFP states several times that the Girl Scouts will not necessarily select the bidder with the highest value.  We believe they are looking to select a bidder based on the intended use of the property and keeping the land and woods intact.

Because Merging Hearts Holistic Center has been in existence less than three years, we do not qualify for financing. If we are to purchase this property, it will be strictly up to our members’ contributions.  So here we are, at a point much earlier than expected, of possibly purchasing a place of our own.  It may be too soon, but it is an opportunity too good to pass up without letting you know about it.

This is not a decision to be made by me or the Board of Directors.  It is a decision that will be made by you, the members.  Many of you have talked about your dream of having a mind-body-spirit center right here in Northeast Ohio. A place where we can meet to explore our spirituality within the healing realm of nature.  A place that will offer a natural setting for retreats and workshops. A place where we can teach the young and old alike about the sacred light within and our blessed connection to Mother Earth. This may be our chance to purchase some beautiful property that will fit our needs, not only for a current meeting place, but will also allow us the freedom to expand into our future building and retreat center. 

It is the perfect time in the real estate market to be purchasing property and with your help we could own it free and clear.  The property is centrally located with easy access to I-77, Rt. 30, Rt. 21, and the Akron-Canton Airport.

If we had 100 members who would be willing to invest $1000 each, we could offer $100,000 for this property.  Or if we had 150 members who would invest $500 each, we could offer them $75,000.  Recently the Board decided to dedicate $2500 to establish a Building Fund.  It is our intent to offer the Girl Scouts this amount plus whatever pledges are made by you, the members.  Any size donation is welcome!  $100   $50    $25

We need to move quickly on this decision.  If you are interested in donating towards the purchase of this camp, please contact Jeanne Grimes by Monday, December 7th at healinghands2009@sbcglobal.net or at 330-309-7223.    Please inform me of the amount of your donation, your name and your contact information. Do not send any monies at this time.  We will only contact you if we win the bid.

Please view the pictures as you read through this list of details.

- 37.77 acres of pristine forest

- Lodge 

• 1,932 sq ft
  
  |
• Indoor, wood-burning fireplace
  
• Kitchen with stove and refrigerator
  
• Two bathrooms
• One large bedroom
  
• Storage area & office
  
• Outdoor covered porches
  |
• Oil heat, electric, phone, well and septic system

- Two picnic pavilions (one large with water and electric and one small)
|

- Large maintenance garage, 37’ x 24’ (888 sq ft)

- Large grassy playing field for sporting events, festivals, etc, near largest pavilion

- Twelve campsites with picnic tables and fire rings

- Hiking trails throughout property
|

- Outdoor fire pit near Lodge - perfect for meditations, drum circles, & S’mores

- Possible area for pond

- Two bunkhouses (they need some work)
|
- Room to build our dream building

- Space to build cabins, a sweat lodge and a labyrinth

- Hilly terrain that could be converted into an amphitheatre

- Prime location in Jackson Twp

There are some drawbacks of the property to consider.  They include:

• Cost of upkeep on the property for snow removal, maintenance on the grounds and buildings, etc, but with no rent or mortgage to pay, our cash flow would be adequate to cover the expenses.
• Noise from adjacent sand & gravel company – Company officials state that their equipment operates from 7 am – 5 pm during workdays.
• Parking – Additional parking areas would need to be established near the Lodge.

If you know of others who may be interested in helping to create a mind-body-spirit center here in northeast Ohio, please forward this email on to them.

Again, we need to move quickly on this decision.  If you are interested in donating towards the purchase of this camp, please contact Jeanne Grimes by Monday, December 7th at healinghands2009@sbcglobal.net or at 330-309-7223.   Please inform me of the amount of your donation, your name and contact information. Do not send any monies at this time.  We will only contact you if we win the bid.

Gently asking for your participation,

Jeanne Grimes, President

Merging Hearts Holistic Center

.Jeanne Grimes, President of The Merging Hearts Holistic Center,

is featured on the cover of the October 2008 issue of the 'About' magazine! 

'About' is a regional periodical created by The Canton Repository highlighting stories and people in our community.  Jeanne was interviewed along with four other spiritual leaders from Stark County on the topic of "What is spirituality?"  Read Jeanne's opinion about the current rise in consciousness around the world. 

A quote from Jeanne's article: "For me, spirituality comes down to a very personal connection to the Divine.  Whether you practice a religion or not, it's the feeling of universal love; of oneness; of being in awe of all that is."

Read the entire article here.

To subscribe to this wonderful magazine, call 330-580-8364 or log on to www.aboutstark.com.

Our events are listed on the calendar at StarkCountyEvents.com now. Thanks to Walt Bissell for listing these events! 

The Long Range Planning Committee meetings lead by Rev. Kraus were extremely productive.  There were many participants in the three-day process and results were substantial.  To further our mission to offer opportunities that nurture the mind, heal the body and awaken spirit, we set realistic goals to accomplish in 2009.  We acknowledged the programs that are already in place, and prioritized those that we want to initiate.  Three Team Leaders emerged, one each in the areas of focus (Mind, Body and Spirit) and objectives for all three teams were established. 

What this all means to you is that in 2009, Merging Hearts will continue to support the community by offering Enlightened Beings, Meditation, our newsletter and website and all the other wonderful activities that we currently enjoy.  Projects and programs to be developed in the new year will include establishing a Merging Hearts Speakers Bureau, classes that include exercise, Tai Chi, organic gardening and more, healthy activities that include hiking and biking as well as services such as Reiki and massage.  Look for us to be more active in the community with outreach efforts such as field trips, teaching and more.  We even have begun long range plans for a coffee shop & cafe and an exposition in the coming months. 

Thanks to all who participated, and thanks to the Team Leaders who stepped up, Cindy Bashaw, Michael Durbin and Bo Wise.