Greetings friends of Dancing Rabbit,

My name is Eric Mease, and I am both a new resident of Dancing Rabbit and an administrative assistant at the nonprofit here. I came to DR in the Spring of 2020 as a volunteer for the dairy co-op. Being able to volunteer in this unique and inspiring community was truly the opportunity of a lifetime and was the gateway to starting my life at Dancing Rabbit.

As a volunteer, I had the time to get to know the community at my own pace, build connections naturally, and start to dream and plan for how I would create my life at Dancing Rabbit, all while contributing meaningfully to the community. In my case, I cared for the dairy goats and cows, grew food for Critter Kitchen (one of our various eating co-ops) and, very importantly, had my basic expenses covered. I will be forever grateful to my hosts for giving me this opportunity, which has opened up a whole new chapter in my life.

Bringing volunteers to Dancing Rabbit opens the door to a life-changing experience for people of diverse means and backgrounds and is one of the best ways to grow the village. This year, the Center for Sustainable and Cooperative Culture (CSCC) created a volunteer program to extend this transformative opportunity to as many people as possible. Volunteers will work on village projects, such as growing a large vegetable garden for the community, building natural housing for volunteers, and restoring our unique native ecosystem.