Scholarship Fund
THE RETURNING HOME
in The Dominican Republic
March 16-22, 2026
We can call this a retreat, but it’s really a homecoming… a returning. An opportunity to practice, through intentional action, what it can look & feel like to be move & be in right relationship with a land and its Indigenous roots. This scholarship is for the daughters of the Dominican Republic and Haiti – for the women who feel the pull to return home in a deeper, more intentional way.
About THE RETURNING HOME Scholarship
This scholarship fund was inspired by Mairi’s vision, and our collective desire, to make it more accessible for those who have ancestral roots & connections to this sacred land to be able to journey (home) with us. It’s for the woman who deeply desires to reconnect with the land that shaped her ancestors… not through obligation, but through devotion. Not to caretake, but to receive. Not simply to visit, but to come home.
Fundraising Goal – $10,000
We would love to offer up to 6 partial scholarships to the daughters of The Dominican Republic and Haiti – those who feel the longing on their hearts to return home, but have never had the time, space, or resources to experience the island through rest, healing, and remembrance – and meeting this fundraising goal will make that possible.
How you can get involved, participate & receive…
If you are a daughter of the island (The Dominican Republic or Haiti) & feel the stirring inside your heart & soul to journey home through Awakening Blooms, but need financial support to make that possible, please apply to The Returning Home Scholarship here.
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If you have ever traveled or attended a retreat in another country that was not your home… if you desire to help us make this possible & currently have any abundance of financial resource to contribute (even a few dollars)… & you don’t need to receive anything in return, please donate to The Returning Home Scholarship FUND here.
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If you are curious about what we’re offering & desire to support or contribute while receiving something beautiful for yourself in return, please sign up for Medicine of the Bloom* here.
*All Medicine of the Bloom profits go directly to The Returning Home Scholarship Fund!
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What is our role & why are we involved?
We are here, both to support Mairi in bringing her vision to life, AND to be stewards of intentionality in a world where retreats, tourism, and wellness have become so extractive.
We acknowledge that we (Elyza & Sarah) are not descendants of the sacred land we’ll be journeying to – the island of The Dominican Republic (& Haiti) – and that it is an immense privilege to receive from the medicine & beauty present there. We also acknowledge the power & capacity that each of us has to be conscious stewards of every land we travel to, whether we carry that lineage within us or not. How can we learn to be in right relationship with every land we journey to, centering their culture, needs & descendants?
Wellness is often not accessible to those who it is actually DESIGNED for… and that is by choice. So, we have made the intentional choice with Awakening Blooms to center & support the land & the people of the land we are traveling to – from the locations we’re staying & the dollars we’re spending to the creation of this scholarship fund.
This is our mission with everything we do, at The Harmony Mountain House & beyond – how can we move with reverence & understanding, offering gratitude to those who came before us, learning to live in reciprocity with one another, wherever we are?
