Meet the Heartbeeters - Heartbeet Lifesharing

Get to know of few members of our community

Marcianna Morse

Marcianna grew up in Montpelier, Vermont. Her childhood wove with many of the local Heartbeet community members, who have become dear friends and colleagues. She met Heartbeet and Camphill in July 2009 at age 19 and was deeply touched and inspired by the life and work she met. It was exactly what she had been searching for. She has found purpose, colleagueship, and boundless opportunities for growth – gifts she carries deep gratitude for. She moved to Heartbeet as a long-term coworker in 2011. She has sought out opportunities to educate herself with the history of Camphill and what has carried the movement to the present – and is actively living with the question of what is needed to carry Camphill into the future. Marcianna has been on the path to Camphill Community membership and is working toward formally joining as a Camphill Community member.

Marcianna has been a part of and witness to the community’s growth since July 2009 and comes with a deep love and commitment to Heartbeet and all those who are a part of Heartbeet. She comes with a readiness to learn, an advocacy for meeting each person where they are. Marcianna has completed the five-year level one training in Spacial Dynamics – a study and exploration of the human being and relationship to space. She is currently working towards completing the Spacial Dynamics levels 2 & 3.

Marcianna spent many years learning house holding and co-house holding with Hannah, Heartbeet’s founder. She met Dan, who moved to Heartbeet and married in 2015. Marcianna lives in Amber Rose house with her husband Dan and their children Linden, Asher and Laurel. She is currently householding, supporting a third-year volunteer in stepping into householding, part of the admin core group and is the Heartbeet board secretary.

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Dan Morse

Dan was born and raised in Connecticut. He studied mechanical engineering in college. While at school, he recognized a different passion: sustainable agriculture. Dan soon after left school and travelled the U.S., exploring and working on small farms. His interest in small farms extended to Italy. It was at an international conference on food that Dan further developed his interest in farming and became passionate about cheese making. He remained in Italy for to visit various cheese makers and small farms.

Upon returning to the States, Dan moved to Vermont and began interning at award winning Jasper Hill Cheese. The internship soon turned into a full time job as a cheese maker. It was some time later that Dan met his future wife, Marcianna, at a local Contra Dance. Marcianna was a coworker at Heartbeet.

Dan had his first visit to Heartbeet in 2013 and by the spring of 2014, after much contemplation, decided to move into the community and become a coworker. He recalls really being inspired by what was being done at Heartbeet. It provided the alternative lifestyle and work life he was looking for, he loved how living and working blended together, and he strongly that working with the Friends was what he wanted to do.

Dan lives in Amber Rose house with, among others, Marcianna, their three children, their dog, Yacco and cat, Bella.

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Annie Jackson

Annie, originally from Portland, OR, is a felter, a knitter, a cook, a baker, a snowboarder, a poet, singer, farmer, cheesemaker, and a Heartbeeter since 2009. That move, she says, is one of the best things that ever happened to her. It gave her a place to be herself – a place to call home where she can find fulfillment in her friendships and relationships. Annie serves on the Heartbeet board and the Policy and Advocacy Group. She is Chair of the Friends Group and is a Camphill Foundation Board Fellow, a two year leadership and Non-Violent Communication training program for emerging leaders in Camphill communities in North America and around the world. She believes in magic because when you work together anything can happen.

Annie says that to understand what Heartbeet is, you have to dip your toe in so you can feel the heart and soul of it; you have to know the Friends because, with help from the coworkers, they make Heartbeet happen. She encourages people considering a move to Heartbeet to ask questions and to be yourself. She emphasizes the importance of service – that we are all here to give to others and offer support when it’s needed. Do that, she says, and you will see

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Jaime Walker

Jaime hails from North Carolina where she graduated from Warren Wilson College with a B.A. in Human Studies with a concentration in Global Studies, accompanied by a fire burning within her to contribute to the world in a meaningful way. Through her experience at Warren Wilson, Jaime was introduced to ideals of community, social justice, stewardship of the earth and the importance of finding commonality and connection that transcends language, culture, ability and economic background.

Since Heartbeet’s beginning, Jaime visited regularly, witnessing the community as it grew from one household to its current size, always inspired and encouraged by the relationships she found within the community and the many gifts of life-sharing. In the summer of 2017, Jaime moved to Heartbeet with her son, Taran, seeking the opportunity, for both her and her son, to grow along with all community members, developing friendship and colleagueship. Jaime has been honored to study house-holding and draw upon all of her previous work experiences in her community offerings and crew leadership. Jaime currently is householding in Kaspar House and training is
third-year international volunteer as a co-householder. She is a member of the AdminCore Group and is entering her first term as a Heartbeet trustee for the Camphill Association of North America.

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Nate Carrier

Nate is a native of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. It was through his mother’s love of Heartbeet that he remembered visiting as a young boy. They would come to the community from time to time, and he recalls playing with some of the children who lived here back then. After high school, Nate pursued his interest in becoming a special needs educator and began to study at the University of Maine.

His university plans were suddenly changed in 2020 due to Covid-19. Nate wanted to do something meaningful during the summer; that was when he decided to join Heartbeet. After only two weeks Nate knew he wanted to extend his stay. He says, “Heartbeet is a combination of everything I enjoy. It’s really important to me to live the agricultural lifestyle that I had growing up in Vermont. The Camphill model of inclusive living feels natural to me, and I find it interesting.”

Nate currently leads our bakery crew, filling our community center with the smell of freshly baked bread, crackers and cookies. “We’re creating meaningful work for the Friends and also for the coworkers to learn the skills for themselves. Developing those skills brings a sense of purpose and responsibility,” he reflects.

Nate enjoys the challenges of community life and the self growth that he has experienced since arriving. He also finds that living in such a culturally diverse community right in the heart of northern Vermont is quite unique: “There is nothing better than all sitting down for a house meal – eating a delicious dish from another country. It’s a great opportunity to learn about different languages, beliefs, food and music. It’s fantastic!”

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