Letter to the Extended Community of Wellspring Guests, Retreat Leaders, Friends and Families
August 17, 2010
Dear Wellspring Community,
Having recently celebrated our 30th Anniversary, it is with great sadness that we make this announcement.
As a board, we have made the decision to close Wellspring by November 15, 2010.
How can we say goodbye to this place and community that has meant so much to each of us? Wellspring
holds treasured memories for all of us.
Over the last two years, as the board has undertaken a restructuring of Wellspring, our attention has been
focused on creating a sustainable enterprise. A lot of hard work has gone into this process, and we have
been so privileged to undertake this work with such a vibrant and capable staff.
There were a number of concerns and issues that we faced. One of Wellspring’s biggest challenges has
always been making our budget work. In order to strengthen our financial situation, we raised our prices,
reached out to revitalize and grow our community, and fundraised. We were honored to see our
community rise to the occasion and support us in our Save Wellspring campaign on so many levels. All
of these efforts helped, and you were the reason we were able to make as much progress as we did.
However, despite our best efforts, we are left in an untenable situation. Wellspring simply doesn’t have
the resources to sustain itself in a long term and meaningful way. There was no single variable we could
have altered, nor any one change we could have implemented that would have made it possible for us to
stay open. Our decision is based on a complex series of factors, many of them financial, some of them
stemming from issues that have been problematic for years. We made this decision as a board, with the
input and support of our Founder, Executive Director and outside professionals.
We sincerely thank you for joining us in the experience of Wellspring. We offer our gratitude for the
many ways in which all of you, new and old friends, have contributed to the blessings that well up from
this precious place. There simply aren’t enough words to express just how much your presence and
contributions have meant to us.
Fortunately we are able to continue into the fall. We look forward to our Annual Harvest Weekend,
scheduled for September 17-19, and there is still time to sign up. We invite you to join us in this
opportunity to reflect upon the bountiful gifts that Wellspring has offered over the years. We also have
open space this fall for those of you who want to soak in the beauty of Wellspring one last time.
Sincerely,
Wellspring Board of Directors
p.s. We appreciate your patience as we work to get this message out. We will be updating our community
as this process unfolds.
If you have questions about this decision, please contact our board member Daphne Macneil,
(707) 463-2878 or daphnemacneil@hotmail.com.
For questions about reservations, contact our Executive Director, Terry McMillan at Wellspring,
(707) 895-3893 or wellsprg@pacific.net.