Kindred Spirits Camp

A Community Supporting Healing & Self Discovery

$875

10% discount for first-time attendees. Email camp@rowecenter.org to get discount.

August 19-24, 2024

Rooted in Recovery for Over 30 Years

For more than 30 years, Kindred Spirits has offered a way for people to expand their growing edges, relax, and have fun. It can do that for you, too.

A wide variety of activities are provided in a beautiful, natural environment. Stay in a rustic cabin or cozy dorm room or treat yourself to a private room. Enjoy the divine food. Free your imagination to create what you have always wanted. Explore “lifeshops” in relationships, breathwork, grief and loss, nurturing the self, arts and crafts, meditation, music, play, or movement. Immerse yourself in singing, dancing, campfires, support groups, a talent-optional show, swimming, and lots of time just schmoozing.

What People Are Saying:

“Kindred Spirits is a blessing in my life. Here I have made friends who truly care about my heart and soul. Our community is a haven of truth, healing, kindness, belonging, and love. Our annual camp is a highlight of the year, fostering healthy growth, creativity, connection, and inspiration. Kindred Spirits makes the world a better place to live.”

-Andrew O.

What People Are Saying:

“The Kindred Spirits community brought the joy of summer camp and community connections into my everyday life. The friends I’ve made over the last 10+ years are my family of choice.”

-Kim

What People Are Saying:

“Kindred spirits taught me about unconditional love. I came as a broken soul and the love and support of the community helped me work through my issues and family patterns. I learned about asking for what I need. And most of all, taking it lightly, playing when it gets too much.”

-Linda S.

What People Are Saying:

“Kindred Spirits was my REAL first stop on my healing process. Nothing worked much before that. I’m still on that long road but in a much better place in part to the incredible, loving, compassionate, empathetic community at KSC. Something magical that is bigger than all of us happens there and I love IT and ALL the people dearly!”

-Michael B

What People Are Saying:

“I first went to camp in 2013. I met so many wonderful, caring people and had a blast. I danced, I laughed, I learned about myself. I also enjoyed the music and the staff was great. I have been back whenever I had the chance and can’t wait to go back this year.”

-Karen T

What People Are Saying:

“During my first year at Kindred Spirits Camp 20 years ago, I felt instantly welcomed and accepted into a family of loving and supportive friends who have remained dear to me to this very day. One of the best choices I ever made was to come to KS Camp.”

-Mick L

We Are “Kindred Spirits”

We are a purposeful community that creates the world in which we want to live for a week every summer in the beautiful mountains of Western Massachusetts. We unplug and connect with nature and with each other. Camp is a place to experience unconditional love, dive into deep healing work in safety, or just let your inner child have a blast. We nurture our bodies with farm-to-table amazing food. We connect through song, breathwork, art, dance, music, and play. Our roots are in the 12 Step movement. 12 step offerings are still an integral part of camp, but we have evolved into a community for anyone who wants to further their personal growth and experience an unconditionally supportive community. Many campers have been coming for over a decade and would not miss it for the world. Give yourself this amazing gift this summer. You will be welcomed with open arms!

Meet The Directors

Lisa Silverman

Program Co-Director

Lisa Silverman has been a certified breathworker from the International Breathwork Institute since 1994. She graduated from the Power of Breath Institute’s 2 year certification program in 2004. Since then she has been assisting trainings at POBI in Spofford and in Ireland, teaching classes and breath intros and seeing private clients in Portland, Maine where she lives. Lisa is also a shiatsu therapist and natural foods chef. She is the Founder of Five Seasons Cooking School since 1992. Lisa has been a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and has been leading breath work at Kindred Spirits Camp/Rowe Camp and Conference Center for 14 years.

Robin Craver

Program Co-Director

Robin Craver is a seasoned Rowe co-director and has been a part of the Kindred Spirit camp and community for over 30 years. She also volunteers as Host for the Rowe Center’s online education and in person workshops. Recently retired as a Town Manager, she focused on empowering individuals and groups in areas of health, public safety, education, environment and financial management. Robin is the founder of The Lake House, a small in person retreat center for personal and group development in central MA, where she leads and hosts workshops on personal growth. She is an experienced Reiki Master, Energy Healer and Medium.

Paul Fish

Assistant Co-Director

Paul has been a part of the Rowe community since 1985, attending Senior High Camp from 1985 – 1987 and was elected Spirit in 1986. He began attending Kindred Spirits in 2006 and served one year on assistant staff. He loves singing and performing, most frequently with Rock Voices, a chorus he joined in 2015, traveling with his wife, Marcella, and exercising. Paul brings an open heart, kindness and sense of humor wherever he goes and is looking forward to expanding his horizons as Co-Director in Training.

Kindred Spirits Staff

Tom Allan

Tom Allan has been growing at Kindred Spirits camp at Rowe for over 30 years. He brings a big heart and playful spirit to his work on the staff. Work shop offerings have included Mens Sacred sauna, Outrageous play, Grief and Loss, Embracing your Inner Child and Tubing on the Deerfield River just to name a few. Tom is currently in private practice in Portland, Maine where he provides individual and group therapy primarily for Men.

Satyena Ananda

Satyena Ananda is the co-founder and director of Starseed Healing Sanctuary and Holistic Retreat Center. She has been on the staff of Kindred Spirits Camp for over 30 years, with a number of years as co-director. She is now continuing as an elder.

Satyena’s interests and skills include personal growth and spiritual development; Earth connection and healing; vision manifestation; and transformational work with women.

Possible lifeshops:

Vision manifestation: “Telling a new story” with a story drum – Earth connection and healing + energy balancing
Women’s Earth-based healing
Creating a personal gratitude journal

Ann Aurelia Jarvis

‌Ann is a certified co-counselor, elder care specialist and photographer. She has been part of the Kindred Spirits/Rowe community for over 20 years and has an extensive background in personal growth programs. Ann has facilitated and co-facilitated a wide range of life shops including; the 12-steps, co-counseling, comedy, group dances, pickleball, bingo and last yet definitely not least noodle races at the lake! Ann brings her humor, enthusiasm and compassion to Kindred Spirits Camp and is hoping you will join us!

Desiree Lawrence

Desiree has been going to Rowe since 1992 and working on the Kindred Spirits Camp staff for several years. She still experiences the “magic of Rowe” every year. Her focus is working with people around grief and loss issues, helping them to navigate through their healing journeys. Desiree and her husband Tom facilitate a grief workshop every year at camp. Desiree also offers other unique opportunities for people to express their feelings using creativity, such as vision boards, dolls, gratitude boxes, remembrance jars, coloring, etc..Her favorite thing to do is sit with people and witness their authentic selves!

Harvard MacFarlane

Harvard joined Kindred Spirits Camp as assistant staff in 2022 and is delighted to be returning this year. Aside from his ‘day job’ in Information Technology, Harvard has followed a calling to spiritual direction and recovery. In recovery himself since 2017, Harvard was ordained as an interfaith minister in 2023 and is a certified recovery coach. He is active in the Maine recovery community and various church and spiritual communities in the Portland and Augusta areas. Harvard facilitates an interfaith “Higher Power Hour” service monthly in Portland, and fosters mindfulness and spiritual practice wherever opportunity arises.
Harvard lives with his husband and their youngest daughter in Augusta, Maine. He looks forward to the opportunity to serve AND grow with this nurturing, beautiful community at KS camp once again this year.

Rodney Carl Mashia

Rodney Carl Mashia is a consultant, trainer, workshop leader, author and musician based in southern Maine. He is a former staff member of Spring Hill of Ashby, where he facilitated the Opening the Heart workshops, and has staffed Kindred Spirits for over 20 years. He is a National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) trained multicultural consultant and trainer. He is the author and developer of Men’s Healing: An Online Course for Men. As a musician, Rodney has been touching hearts for decades with his soulful music, and has entertained many groups with his original lyrics, vocal interpretations, guitar, and flute.

Nicole Pelkey

Nicole Pelkey lives in the White Mountains of NH. She is a licensed massage therapist. Nicole lives a holistic life and pursues a variety of passions. She considers herself a creative and spiritual explorer, exploring yoga, martial art, spending time with an enlightened mentor, gardening, herbal medicine, wild-foraging, naturalist studies, visual art, music, and dance. She loves nature and being active in the outdoors hiking, skiing, and cold-plunging with her pup Raven. Nicole’s appetite for learning is unending; she is currently learning somatic coaching and storytelling.

Sarah Pirtle

Sarah is very excited to be on staff and join the community building at Kindred Spirits through singing. She is a life-long peace educator with five books including national award-winning An Outbreak of Peace. She writes songs each week, has nine recordings, and loves teaching how to bring out the songs we carry inside. She’s an Interfaith Minister and has been part of Rowe since 1962. Years ago she was co-director of Lib Camp, YPC, and Senior High and also a leader of several weekend workshops at the conference center. Many of her songs — such as “My Roots Go Down” — are free on the web at https://sarahpirtle.com/hope-sings/follow-the-voice.htm

Charity Joy Robinson

Charity Joy Robinson has been teaching, traveling, and facilitating movement for over twenty years around the world. She is a certified 200-hour yoga teacher with over 900 hours of studies with master teachers from around the planet. Kalaripayattu (Indian martial arts) practitioner, Thai massage practitioner, studying in Thailand for 2 years off and on, Dj and creator of Elemental Movement (ecstatic dance), Dance Facilitator, teaching West African dance, Azonto, Breakdancing, and Hip-Hop. Elemental energy Healer, and Holy Fire Reiki Master. She finds so much joy assisting people in connecting to their bodies and realizing what a gift it is to be embodied.

Website:www.charityjoymovement.com

Duffy Spencer

Duffy Spencer, Ph.D. attended Rowe Camp as a teenager, came back to camp in 1995 and never left. She has served as a Kindred Spirits staff member since 2003. Having earned her Ph.D. In Social Psychology, she is in private clinical practice. Duffy hosts WHPC’s Just Relationships, offers keynotes, classes, workshops and retreats on “Making the YOU Come True.” At camp she leads Lifeshops on the Psychology of Recovering one’s True Self.

Will “Spence” Spencer

Will “Spence ” Spencer has been a lover of Kindred Spirits Camp since 2000 and a staff member for eight years. A retired airlines operations manager, Spence now spends his time singing Barbershop, dancing, co-leading the Ethical Humanist men’s support group and enjoying chess and pickle ball tournaments. He leads the camp’s pickle ball clinic, has led yoga lifeshops, and co-led the Kindred Spirits men’s support group.

kindred spirits recovery group in rowe ma

You also can relax and take advantage of all Rowe has to offer: hike the trails in the nature preserve, visit the nearby town beach, and create in the art room.

The journey of Kindred Spirits is the joy of reconnecting with self, the natural world, and other human beings. With its roots in the 12-step recovery movement, Kindred Spirits encourages authentic expression of feelings and a commitment to balance tears with laughter as we awaken our hearts and move into our wholeness. We build a fun, safe, relaxed community to which many return year after year and where newcomers are welcomed into the family with open arms.

Year after year we see happiness and love in the faces of adults, as life-long friendships and sweet memories are formed. Please join us.

Kindred Spirits Camp

Roooted in Recovery for over 30 years.

August 19-24, 2024

$875

10% first-time attendee discount available by emailing camp@rowecenter.org