A New Home for The Tree
We have appreciated expanding this wellness community in our current home. However, our lease ends in 2027 and we believe the next best step for the sustainability of this work and community is to purchase land in South Central / South LA and build the expanded vision that you all have helped to co-create.
RSVP for our free campaign launch event: Grounded & Growing on July 12th at 2-6pm
Read below to see how you can support!
Why Land, Why Now?
Since 2020, The Tree Yoga Cooperative has been serving community members in South Central and across Los Angeles in accessing culturally relevant yoga & mindfulness practices and education. This has created more resilience, personal and collective peace & power, as well as employment and employment opportunities. Since we opened our doors, we have:
Trained over 195 people to become certified yoga teachers, 95% being BIPOC,
Taught over 4,000 yoga classes at out studio (including English, Spanish, and Bilingual classes), reaching more than 5,000 unique community members, the majority of whom are BIPOC.
Partnered with over 50 community partner organizations, government agencies, non-profits, and schools in order to increase in accessibility of our services. Some of the unique demographics of people that we have supported through partnerships include:
Incarcerated youth and young adults
Our elders/Seniors
Younger children from as young as 4 years old, through college-aged youth
Faith-based groups
Community organizers & front-line workers
Birthworkers
And more
Make your donation today!*
Tier 1
$50
Sprout
Popular
Tier 2
$100
Sapling
Tier 3
$200
Tree
Maybe add an incentive for the large donors?
*Note, donations are tax-deductible. + Give instructions on how people can claim it on their taxes :)
Why give?
Community & Social Justice
As we have grown, so too has our commitment to our community. In a socio-political context of increasing violence by the state against our BIPOC, LGBTQ, and undocumented communities, we feel a duty to find new ways to deepen our support for our community members. With this land, we will create a permanent wellness hub for those who need it most in LA: our frontline communities who are under attack, and the organizers and aid workers who are working tirelessly to support them.
Wellness & More Opportunities
In addition to allowing us to expand our yoga and wellness offerings to the communities who need it most, this land will include a community garden, indoor spaces for our communities to gather, organize, and practice cooperative enterprise/ collaborative governance, as well as affordable physical spaces for other small co-ops in our community to get their start.
Sustainability & Growth
Finally, this land is an opportunity for us to break free from the extractive landlords who terrorize our communities, and to expand our own cooperative model by offering additional co-ownership and equity opportunities in the co-op for staff, students, and community. This creates more jobs, economic development, and community ownership.
In just one year of work in our new home, we will be able to:
Serve over 100 community members a day through yoga & mindfulness - based classes, workshops, and programming
Train over 75 students to become certified to teach yoga and have more economic opportunity
Create over 20 jobs where we can hire locally within our community
Establish a strong digital presence that expands the reach of our services
Partner with over 50 more community organizations, health clinics, schools, government agencies, and more to create greater health & wellness access
Support the establishment and sustainability of other local cooperatives
Does this vision resonate with you?
Do you want to see more wellness resources by us, for us?
In addition to financial support, here are some non-financial ways you can contribute to the realization of this vision:
If you are an artist, chef, community builder - all skills can be used to move this work forward, and your help is very important!
If you have resources for land purchase grants or other financial resources that you can share with us, please do.
If you have experience in an endeavor like this, please share your wisdom!
Email us here with any resources, skills, wisdom, or other insight that you have to offer.
With appreciation and solidarity,
The Tree Team
“A quote from Rita.”
Rita Ortiz Contreras, E-RYT® 200, YACEP®
Founder & Owner of The Tree Yoga Cooperative
“A quote from Jana.”
Jana Janelle Johnson, E-RYT® 500, YACEP®
Founder & Owner of The Tree Yoga Cooperative
“A quote from Jenni.”
Jenni Alvarez, MPH, E-RYT® 200
Founder & Owner of The Tree Yoga Cooperative
