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Welcome to Quarry Hill's Blog!

Quarry Hill Creative Center in Rochester, VT, founded 1946 by Barbara and Irving Fiske, is Vermont's oldest alternative community and at one time was probably also its largest. In the 60s -80s, as many as 90 people lived here.
It was and is visited each year, often in summer (but in every season, really) by visitors from all over the world.
We welcome interesting and creative people who are peaceful, bring no weapons, don't believe in hitting children or killing animals, and enjoy the beauty of Vermont and of themselves.

Most of us do not adhere to any particular dogma or religion, though many do find Eastern philosophy closest to our own thought (some of us are also members of the Quakers/Society of Friends).
We value the individual, particularly people who are energetic and have a sense of humor.
Visitors are welcome-- and prospective residents, too. There are some places for rent, others for sale. If interested, get in touch!
And, please follow the Blog and comment whenever you like!

"The symbol is the enemy of the reality, and the reality is ever one's true guide, true friend, true companion, and true self." Irving Fiske, 1908-1990

Friday, January 11, 2019

A New Partnership with the Stop Child Abuse Campaign

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I've been fortunate enough to discover the Stop Child Abuse Campaign. We met on Twitter, and found that we share the same values regarding children-- that ANY kind of abuse, from the lightest slap to the worst violence, is unacceptable. I was delighted that they felt that even a slap is abuse.  They said when an adult slaps a child, it is  "abuse in all but law-- if an adult were ... (slapped), it would be assault." 
Quarry Hill has always thought this way, since Barbara and Irving came here in 1946. When Barbara became pregnant-- or, perhaps, when I was a baby-- they agreed that if one of them were to become angry with the child and become aggressive in any way toward her or him, the other would defend the child.  This was parenting many years ahead of its time. Most of the world isn't there yet.
I'm delighted to meet the members of the Stop Child Abuse Campaign. They work to eradicate children's  vulnerability to any kind of abuse-- sexual, physical, or psychological. Here is their website. 
https://stopabusecampaign.org/


They have invited me to write for their blog. I'm delighted that they want me to try!
 Please check them out and support the work they are doing. 
 Jordan Riak, another pioneer of children's rights,  would have been pleased.  He passed away not long ago, but was the tireless director of Project NoSpank, which is still in existence.  He published a wonderful little pamphlet called The Plain Truth about Spanking. Together with our bumper sticker that says" Break the Cycle of Violence-- Don't Hit Your Kids," it was an effective message. We sent it out to parents and schools everywhere during the 1990s through the Free the Kids! program,of which I was the first director.  It was an educational  project of Quarry Hill and Magi-La (through the Green Mountain Educational and Cultural Trust, a 501c3 corporation). 

Jordan Riak  would have  have been delighted, also, to know that the American Pediatric Association has (finally) taken a stand against spanking, saying it creates a lack of self-esteem and undermines the relationship between the child and the parent. 
It also HURTS!

Children should have the same protections against assault--from anyone, including parents-- that adults possess.
If you would like more information about the Stop Child Abuse Campaign, please go to their website above. If you are interested in Project NoSpank, this is their website. There is a wonderful page about the work of Jordan Riak on the site. http://www.nospank.net/main.htm
If you are interested in Free the Kids or Quarry Hill, please send me an email at 
isabellamcfarlin@icloud.com. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Please note, we are not a commune, and we have no members. Google Maps has Quarry  Hill down as an "amusement park." We certainly have had some fun here... we are a rental corporation which rents rooms, houses and land, and there is a pleasant communal aspect to the place-- neighbors help one another out. For more information, please email.

-- Ladybelle 

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