Looking Back at 2011

Contributed by: Mindrolling International News Staff
Published: 12 January 2012

Ratna Family Report

Alex Ryan at work in the Lotus Garden office.

Ratna, the Sanskrit word for “jewel,” aptly describes this smallest but invaluable family. Tasked with managing the wealth of the sangha, the Ratna Family not only coordinates program income, donations, and day-to-day finances, they also oversee the Samten Tse Charitable Projects in India.   

The Ratna Family is headed by Judy Wolfer, attorney and treasurer of Lotus Garden, with Alex Ryan at the helm of daily operations in the Lotus Garden office—reporting directly to Rinpoche and Jetsunla, who examine and advise on all budgets. This past year, Alex’s dealings with a full range of financial and service institutions came to include an increasing amount of online financial activity, increasingly networked with other families.

Now Lotus Garden is in a second phase of expansion. With Rinpoche’s announced 2012 start date for construction of the new shrine room and targeted fundraising effort, and with the mushrooming of individual retreat cabins in Dechen Gatsal, both Alex and Judy have been especially busy. While there is no glamour in showing photos of the "books"—and even less in the legalities meticulously overseen by Judy Wolfer—the many wondrous aspects of Lotus Garden are the result of their long hours of careful management of details that most of us would shudder to imagine.

Here are few photos of Ratna Family “jewels” from 2011.

A fifth retreat cabin under construction at Dechen Gatsal.
Workers repairing the roads in early summer, a project made possible by sangha donations during a very successful fundraising effort.
The enormously popular trees donation project which took place in November was a fundraising effort supported by the sangha and friends.
The Lotus Garden Ratna team helps raise money and manage key financial aspects of Samtse Charitable projects. Here, the nuns of Samten Tse visit an animal shelter in India which is supported by donations from our sangha and various study groups.
Architect's rendering of the future shrine room to be known as Chöying Gatsal.

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