Community Wellness

Circles of Joy Gift Initiative

This holiday season (2024),
ZLMC is partnering with community organizations
to help spread some holiday cheer!

First, our Sangha is sponsoring a family of 8 who was referred to the Community of Congregations after having met the requirements for reduced-price lunch as set by the USDA. If you wish to participate, please click the Signup Button below to enter your name and the gift or gift card (with dollar amount) you would like to purchase and donate. Note: the families entered their own wish list, so we do not have additional details around wish list items.

Secondly, as we are aware there are only 16 slots to support our sponsored family, we have an additional opportunity to continue giving through Sarah’s Inn Holiday Gift Project.

There is now a large red box in the community room where new, unwrapped, toys, books, gift cards, art and craft supplies for children ages 0-18 can be donated. Our donated gifts will go toward Sarah’s Inn Holiday Gift Event allowing their parent clients to “shop” for holiday gifts – for over 300 children and teens impacted by domestic violence.

Please have shopping completed and items returned to the Zen Center by Monday, December 2nd.

Local Sangha members who may want to participate but are unable to get to the center to drop off items can reach out to kelly.good@zlmc.org or linda.warring@zlmc.org to organized a pick up.

Changing and Being Changed by the World

The Zen Life & Meditation Center, Chicago is committed to an active engagement with the world. We are an affiliate member of the Zen Peacemakers. We encourage our members to participate in practice opportunities for bearing witness to suffering in our community and the larger world.

  • During the Pandemic we sewed and gave out hundreds of free masks to non-profits in our community.

  • Our Zen Heart Way program, administered by our priests, offers financial assistance and compassionate care for those in need. If you know of someone who can use some help, please contact Rev. Linda Gyokuzan Warring.

  • We invite our members to bring in canned foods and other nonperishable foods to the Center. On the first Sunday of each month we perform the Gate of Sweet Nectar service to feed the suffering of hungry ghosts. We place the food we have collected on the altar for this service, and afterwards donate it to Sarah’s Inn.

  • In early 2024, we helped make dinners for Venezuelan asylum seekers who were temporarily housed in Grace Episcopal Church.

Educational Opportunities for Organizations

  • Mindfulness Meditation for organizations and businesses and can customize a workshop to meet your specific needs.

  • Nonviolent Communication training that help people work more skillfully with conflict

  • GRACE workshops to help build compassionate resilience for people working in health care or other services where chronic suffering is being addressed.

For more info please call us at 708.689.1220 or email info@zlmc.org.