Matching GIft

Janet McAlpin Offers $400,000 Matching Donation to Capital Campaign

 

Kagyu Changchub Chuling would like to announce the incredible news that Janet McAlpin, with the enthusiastic support of her partner David Godsey, has just made a "matching challenge" gift of $400,000 in order to complete the building of long retreat facilities at Ser Chö Ösel Ling Goldendale, Washington. The matching challenge was formalized at a meeting that took place on Friday, May 27th at her home on Vashon Island.

The story of Janet's gift to KCC involves many connections to the Dharma, Tibet, and Bokar Rinpoche. Earlier in her life, Janet discovered a strong connection she had to China. In college, she began studying the language and became fluent in less than a year, surprising her teachers. Her interest in China led to an interest in Tibet.

When she was twenty, she traveled to China and tried to go to Tibet, but wasn't able to enter. Years later, in 2000, she asked her close friend Karen Nelson to travel to Tibet with her. This time she was successful, and they circumambulated Mt. Kailas. Afterward, Karen convinced her to travel to India to see Bokar Rinpoche, which began a profound connection.

Some of you may know that Karen Nelson was one of the original people on the list to do 3-year retreat at KCC. This inspired Janet, and when she returned to India the next year, she told Bokar Rinpoche that she wanted to support Karen in her aspiration to do retreat. Rinpoche told her that such mutual support is critical--that we actually wouldn't be able to achieve these wonderful things without each other. "I was infected," Janet told Michael Conklin, KCC's Resident Lama, as she made the gift.

Then Janet attended the "Story Walk" at Ser Chö Ösel Ling two weeks ago and was strongly convinced that she should make a donation to KCC. "It was just so clear to me," she said at the time. "What could be more important in this lifetime? I feel a sense of urgency. I will die at an uncertain time, and so I wanted to just make sure I helped to make this happen before I die. There is nothing better that will be coming along."

This gift presents KCC with an opportunity to begin to plan for the completion of long-term retreat facilities. It also provides future donors with the opportunity to double their own gift. From this point forward, every donation will be matched dollar for dollar until we reach the full matching donation of $400,000. Finally, Janet's own donation--arising through many interconnections with the Dharma--will create the opportunity for future donors to make their own connections with Ser Chö Ösel Ling.

To Janet, KCC says "thank you" on behalf of all those beings who will benefit from doing retreat on this land, and those who will benefit by connecting to those who have done long retreats, and those all the way to the outer ripples as the benefit spreads. May the merit of your generosity never be depleted until you reach the ultimate goal of the path.