In February 2024, The Benji Project held the first Festival of Hearts fundraiser. We wanted to create a unique event for our community - one that incorporated key concepts and experiences from our Mindful Self-Compassion programs. We chose a date close to Valentine’s Day, so that we could elevate the idea of love. Instead of focusing on romantic love, though, we were lifting up Love as compassion for self and others.

To exemplify the mindfulness practices we teach, we crafted a “journey through the senses.” This journey included different tasting bites, created by Chef Arran Stark and Baker Jenn Tillman, with each bite highlighting a different sense. Our program included music from Simon Lynge and Janna Marit, as well as the Nikles Duo.

This immersive experience was satisfying, and we received positive feedback from our guests, but incorporating all five of the senses was complicated in the space of a relatively short program. (And we had a lot of tasting plates to deliver!) To give ourselves a simplified framework going forward, we decided to hone in on one sense per event–crafting a five-year Cycle of the Senses!

Our second annual Festival of Hearts focused on the sense of sight, leaning into the idea of both inner and outer vision. Videographer Tomoki Sage worked with three young people from our programs to craft a video exploring the concept of inner critical and compassionate voices. Our collaboration with Arran Stark continued, and he focused on beautiful bites that were colorful and visually inspiring.

Due to complications with our venue, we ended up pushing the date of this event out to May 2025. It wasn’t close to Valentine’s Day anymore, but the late spring timing aligned with trees budding. Port Townsend Garden Center loaned us some beautiful potted trees to grace the event.

Expanding on the tree theme, Artist Meg Kaczyk created a tree mural, inspired by a madrona tree. Event guests decorated leaves to adorn the tree as a collective art project. When they handed in a donation envelope with their contribution to Benji Project programs, they received a cloth heart to add another layer to the tree.

Benji Project Board Member Jennifer Mitchell with the tree mural. Photo by Deja View Photography

This leafy and heart-filled tree mural, a symbol of community vision and love, went to live at Jefferson County Public Health after the event. It has graced the wall of their Pacific Conference Room for the last eight months. It is now being retrieved and will make an appearance this year at our third annual Festival of Hearts.

The focus of Festival of Hearts 2026 is the sense of sound–a celebration of joy and love through sound. When we do outdoor meditations during our programs, one of the first sounds students usually identify is birdsong. The idea of birdsong is guiding the creation of this event.

Come experience for yourself this phase of the Cycle of the Senses, on February 7, 2026!