Support

With your donation you are supporting the efforts of our community to provide a space for Zen practice & study in the Savannah area. We welcome practitioners of all genders, faiths and origins.

We suggest newcomers explore Ancient Oaks for two months. If you wish to continue coming beyond that, we respectfully ask that you help support this community by establishing a recurring monthly donation. The amount should be comfortably within your financial budget.

Together, we can build a more compassionate, safe, and healthy world for all!

Ancient Oaks is part of the Zen Garland Order, which is a 501(c)3 organization. Most donations are tax-deductible.

Not long ago in our own country, living openly as LGBTQ+ meant risking everything. People lost jobs, homes, families—and sometimes their lives. Police raided bars and private homes, dragging people into the streets and arresting them simply for loving who they loved. The 1969 Stonewall Uprising at an LGBTQ+ bar and social gathering site was not a parade, but a rebellion sparked by brutality and humiliation. These were not isolated incidents, but the daily reality for countless queer people across America. The trauma of that time lives in the bodies and memories of many still with us, and the spirit of resilience it forged now calls us to action again.

Today, we are witnessing a chilling resurgence of that same fear and hatred. Under the Trump movement’s growing influence, LGBTQ+ rights are once again under attack: transgender healthcare programs are being dismantled; scientific research defunded; federal diversity and inclusion efforts have been destroyed; book bans now target stories about LGBTQ+ families and youth; and court cases threaten hard-won freedoms like same-sex marriage. The forces working to erase queer lives are loud, well-funded, and organized. We must be louder in love, stronger in compassion, and more determined in our solidarity.

Ancient Oaks is launching a new LGBTQ+ outreach program to offer refuge, empowerment, and authentic spiritual support to queer folks in Savannah. We are printing a special brochure, attached to this message, staffing a welcoming booth at the upcoming Stonewall Memorial Block Party in Savannah, and building our LGBTQ+ Circle into a sacred space where people can meditate, heal, and grow together. This work is grounded in the Zen Garland values of the sacredness of all creation and developing Zen practitioners as fields of benefaction in the world—and we need your help to bring this to life. Please consider making a small donation to support this effort. Your generosity will help create a safe, spiritual home for those who are once again being persecuted. Together, we can send a clear message: you are welcome here.

Ancient Oaks is part of the Zen Garland Order, which is a 501(c)3 organization. Most donations are tax-deductible.