For IMCW, like many other organizations, the past year has been one of celebrations and challenges. While our first and second quarters saw the excitement of hiring of an interim executive director, bringing on several new board members, and the conclusion to our year+, community-wide visioning process, the third and fourth quarters were quickly overshadowed by COVID-19, and the national upheaval that followed the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others.
Like other caring communities, IMCW moved quickly to create the needed supports for our sangha, including forums for BIPOIC students and teachers to process their experiences, and moving all of our offerings online. We’re grateful for the time and talent of our outstanding teachers, managers, and administrative team, as they helped to create a strong container for listening and feedback, and quickly adapted to virtual platforms for our wide variety of offerings.
IMCW’s board and interim ED have been working together throughout this transition time to take action on some of the major themes that arose from the visioning process: a recommitment to our longstanding principles of diversity, equity and inclusion; strengthening our staffing and committee infrastructure; and building a sense of community within our local sanghas and for the many people who participate in our programs worldwide.
We hope you enjoy this overview of the work IMCW has been most engaged with over the past year. The efforts of many have laid a strong foundation for what lies ahead – a time of reimagining how we deliver meaningful offerings to a diverse population, and fortifying our infrastructure so IMCW continues to thrive in the years to come.
In peace,
Trisha Stotler
Interim Executive Director
