The Cowichan Valley’s Nichiren Buddha Centre is looking for help getting back on its feet after December’s windstorm and the winter storms in February.
Henry Landry, a monk and teacher at the centre, said all services at the facility have been shut down for many weeks after the damage that was caused by the storms.
He said the windstorm blew trees down onto three of the smaller outbuildings at the centre, located on two acres deep in the forest near the Cowichan River, completely destroying them, and a big Douglas fir fell onto the roof of the meditation room destroying the roof.
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Landry said temporary repairs were made to the roof to hold it until a more permanent fix can be made, but the heavy snow last month collapsed the roof a second time.
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“We have an estimated $3,000 worth of damage at the centre and have no insurance to cover the costs,” he said. “We have raised about $2,000 so far from donations, but our first retreats of the year are scheduled to start on March 9 so we have only days to finish the repairs.”
Landry said the centre has begun a GoFundMe page, at ca.gofundme.com/buddhapeacecentre, for anyone who would like to contribute.
“We’ve had a good run since we first established in the Cowichan Valley in 2003 and our community now has about 60 members,” he said.
“We have seven retreats scheduled so far for this year dealing with anxiety and stress and helping people find their spiritual pathway.”
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