Protect & Grow The Sanctuary Healing Gardens

Hi friends,

The Sanctuary on Crystal Lake is a Black, Asian, Indigenous & Latinx centered healing garden working to activate community connections through land, food, wellness and art--located in the city of Newburgh.

In 2020, founding Sanctuary Stewards were ceded this parcel of city land, in collaboration with Scenic Hudson and the Ecological Citizens Project. Together with the community, we are reimagining this once-thriving destination that has long been neglected into a place of healing through connection to the natural world, and recreation. And we aren’t doing it alone.

Over the past 24 months, The Sanctuary has catalyzed the reclamation of Crystal Lake by hundreds of community members participating in Volunteer Work Days, Meditative Workdays, community “Winterfest” and Juneteenth celebrations, and local food distributions. Additionally, the Sanctuary has developed a network of working partnerships with important community stakeholders--including YOU.

Now we need your help: We’re asking for funds to keep going.

As we continue to build both physical and social infrastructure, more residents have begun to engage with the greenspace, incorporate its use into their lives, and become natural allies in the work to protect this invaluable urban ecosystem from future abandonment and development.

Some accomplishments to date include:

—Collaborating with the City of Newburgh Water Department to install a permanent yard hydrant & water meter, providing clean water to the property;

—Establishing a new public food/flower/herb gardens to promote healthy eating, well-being, and access to nature via The Sanctuary’s Medicine-Wheel inspired & Resilience Flower gardens, supporting pollinator health, serving as a source of culturally relevant organic food–grown, harvested, and enjoyed by surrounding community, including food and housing insecure residents;

—Clearing 1⁄3 an acre of invasive species and unhealthy forest brush to liberate space for new meditative walking paths;

—Building community wellness and engagement through cultural events and celebrations; and

—Collaborating with the DEC’s Trees for Tribs to plant over 50+ native trees along Crystal Lake’s banks to provide a waterside buffer from erosion and pollutants.

Your contribution will help bring to life our full vision, including: 

—Campaigning to protect Crystal Lake's public lands as parklands, which would designate the first and only park in the city of Newburgh's 3rd Ward;

—Equitably paying all of our creative partners, including farmers, artists, media makers, apprentices, and stewards;

—Curriculum development around regenerative farming practices to foster lasting systems change;

—Completion of the self-sustained food forest, labyrinth, and meditative walkways, where intentional spaces will be cultivated for self-reflection;

—Construction of the forest wellness deck, where meditations, yoga classes, farm-to-table dinners, or even your next business meeting might take place;

—Construction of the children's natural playscape to foster joyful exploration of nature, self, and the 5-senses for youth;

—The planting and seed-keeping of heritage foods of meaning for The Sanctuary's community; and

—A stained glass greenhouse to welcome people to the Sanctuary and extend our growing season.

As acting land stewards, we are committed to making The Sanctuary a place of refuge for the local neighborhood, greater Newburgh residents, outdoor enthusiasts, and the city's underserved populations, including QTBIPOC, youth, and individuals experiencing houselessness or reintegration post-incarceration. As a result, our harvest is bounty FREE. 

We all deserve accessible, public space where we can be safe, seen & celebrated, and connect with our personal joy. Many hands make light work, and it really does take a village. Thanks in advance for being a part of the solution to reimagine this regenerative community for all to enjoy for many generations to come.

With love & solidarity, Anusha + Betty