The Uplands Center

06/01/2026

The Uplands hosted Returning Citizens Support Group, a New Jersey-based organization that supports formerly incarcerated people and their families through healing, family reunification, community building, and comprehensive wraparound services. Their mission is to reduce recidivism and support people returning home from prison as they rebuild their lives and communities.

The group gathered at The Uplands for a board retreat focused on healing, dreaming, and strengthening the work of the organization. Over the course of the retreat, participants revisited their mission and intended impact, developed operational workplans, and deepened their shared commitment to rehabilitation, redemption, and second chances.

The retreat also offered space for rest, reflection, and connection. Participants began with a guided meditation in Cheriklo, shared nourishing meals, took part in art-making and team-building activities, enjoyed a sound bath and fireside conversation, explored the trails and Wellness Walk, and closed with massages offered as a gesture of gratitude to board members.

It was a privilege to host Returning Citizens Support Group as they restored their energy, strengthened their organization, and prepared to continue the work ahead.

05/16/2026

Join Sarah Williford and the Uplands garden team for a hands-on, 3-hour workshop on June 20th at 10am! You’ll learn how to design and build your own herb spiral—a beautiful and efficient garden feature that creates multiple growing conditions in a small space.

This workshop is open to all, whether you’re brand new to gardening or have years of experience. You’ll learn about herb spirals: how they work, why they’re so effective, and which culinary herbs thrive in each microclimate. You’ll get to know a variety of herbs suited to our region, including their growing needs and roles in the garden ecosystem.

You’ll be guided through some personal planning time to consider what feels right for your own space—whether you’re ready to build right away, gathering inspiration, or simply coming to be in community around gardening.

Then we’ll move into the building process, working together to construct a spiral using natural materials. We look forward to being together.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Group size is limited and registration is required. Please, if you sign up and are unable to attend, contact us so we can fill your spot. Sign up using this link!

Join us (Sarah Williford and Uplands Garden team) for a hands-on, 3-hour workshop where you’ll learn how to design and build your own herb spiral—a beautiful and efficient garden feature that creates multiple growing conditions in a small space.This workshop is open to all, whether you’re bran...

05/15/2026

Retreat Spotlight: Newark Community Street Team

The Uplands hosted Newark Community Street Team, a community-based organization of trauma, crisis, and violence-reduction practitioners working to advance community care and safety in Newark.

Participants represented NCST’s Trauma Recovery Center, Community Crisis Response Team, Safe Passage, and Overdose Response Team/Harm Reduction Center. Each guest brought a distinct role within a shared mission of healing, safety, and support.

The retreat theme, “Rooted in Unity, Growing Together,” reflected the group’s desire to strengthen interdepartmental connection and renew their collective sense of purpose. Over the course of the retreat, participants engaged in opening and closing circles, sound bath, guided time in nature, garden experiences, shared meals, creative mask-making, fireside conversation, and team-building activities.

Throughout the weekend, the group made space for rest, play, reflection, and deeper connection. In the closing circle, participants spoke about the healing power of nature, creativity, and community, and the renewed hope they felt returning to their work.

It was an honor to host this dedicated team and support the people who do the vital work of trauma response, crisis care, harm reduction, and violence prevention.

05/11/2026

Community Programs for the summer are live! Check them out here.

Join free community events and learning programs at The Uplands Center

04/24/2026

Delaware Opportunity’s Child and Family Services offers a wide range of programs and services for the community, including youth engagement initiatives, home care services for individuals with disabilities, foster care support, and parent education for at-risk families. Staff members are deeply engaged in the day-to-day work of their individual specialties and have limited opportunities to step back and connect as a larger team. The staff enthusiastically embraced a day retreat at The Uplands Center as an opportunity to restore their energy and build a greater sense of unity within their team.

After arriving to a light morning fare of muffins, banana bread, and fruit, the group savored a gentle yoga session. With their energies grounded, the team dove into a collaborative art project, rotating their artwork and building upon each other’s creations. A guided hike on the Wellness Walk offered moments of personal reflection, insights on local ecology, and wildlife encounters (including coming upon a group of garter snakes, which met with a mix of delight and apprehension). Lunch included pinto bean soup, galettes topped with foraged ramps, and a salad of dandelion greens weeded from The Uplands’ garden. The group demonstrated their problem-solving skills and shared sense of humor in a team building game on the sunny lawn, followed by some unstructured time to enjoy the beautiful spring day. As the group transitioned out, one team member reflected, “I haven’t felt this relaxed in months. Our team really needed this!”

Thank you to Child and Family Services for providing critical care and programs to our community!

04/17/2026

Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, is a New Jersey based nonprofit that offers free grief support for children, adults and families. The Uplands hosted a retreat with a “through the wilderness” theme for 10 men who were mourning the loss of a spouse or family member.

Their stay included delicious shared meals, ice breaking and bonding activities, grief support sessions, yoga, a sound bath, group walks, ATV rides, and relaxation in our hot tub and sauna. The group also enjoyed the “game room” replete with corn hole, ladder ball, golf, poker table, and video games.

As the participants packed up to leave, they expressed how surprised, heartened and refreshed they felt from the peace and communal connectedness they experienced in their retreat. Their intention as they returned to their busy workaday lives was to remain connected as a new community of support comprised of their Uplands retreat companions.

04/01/2026

This past Saturday, The Uplands hosted its first community seed exchange. Dining hall tables were transformed into stations of various seed types, including a live plants table and a trees & shrubs sections. Dozens of community members attended the event to share their favorite seeds, exchange growing tips with neighbors, and take home new varieties. From everyday classics like cucumbers and carrots to special heirloom tomato varieties, and some unique standouts like the coveted paw-paw, the array of seeds reflected the diversity of community members in attendance.

Iridescent Earth Collective - a community of farmers, artists, and activists in Delaware County - held a seed starting workshop within the exchange. Attendees learned the basics of seed biology as well as some practical tips and hands-on experience on starting various seeds at home with readily-available supplies (including how to make a pot out of newspaper!) Community members left with seeds in hand, new knowledge to share, and connections that will continue to grow across our local gardens.

Thank you to all who attended!

12/09/2025

Common Defense, a grassroots veterans’ organization representing over 400,000 members across the US, works to build the leadership of veterans to promote equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all.

The leadership of Common Defense came to The Uplands in October for a changemaker retreat focused on strategic planning. After a welcome dinner that featured a collaboration between the organization’s Executive Director’s gumbo and The Uplands’ culinary team, the group settled in to rest.

They began their first full day on retreat with a guided Wellness Walk, noting the changing colors among the leaves on the trees and the ground. That set the tone for the start of their meeting, where they refocused on their organizational mission and values and scanned the wider ecosystem of groups working similar terrain. After a lunch of lemon cannellini soup with chicken, oatmeal rolls, Greek salad and cookies, they they worked to identify the results they’re intending in their yearly strategic plan. Dinner consisted of Swedish meatballs with braised cabbage, roasted honey nut squash and kale salad from the Uplands garden, and topped off with a desert of apples stuffed with caramel sauce. That was followed by a sound bath in the yoga room which settled bodies and spirits.

Their second day started with a yoga class followed by a hearty breakfast. The group then drilled down on their intended objectives and results that will guide their strategic plan, as well fundraising opportunities. A dinner of wild-caught ahi tuna with fried rice, pumpkin pancakes and Asian slaw was followed by a competition featuring several very spicy brands of hot sauce. They capped the evening with karaoke and warm conversations well into the night.

Aware that the group might need a “pick-me-up” the following morning, Uplands chefs prepared waffles, cheesy eggs, fresh berries and whipped cream, after which participants reconvened to outline timelines and communications strategies for their organizational strategic plan. On their final night at The Uplands, the group joined a guided night walk, where we made moon shadows as we walked up to the Vista shed.

We are proud to host this committed group of veterans and changemakers, and look forward to seeing them win in their efforts to defend an inclusive and just democracy.

12/04/2025

In September, a group of 24 gathered at The Uplands Center for a five-day retreat grounded in nature, community, and regenerative thinking. Hosted by the ROHA (Ray of Hope Accelerator) team, the retreat marked the return of Biomimicry, an organization dedicated to aligning innovation with nature’s intelligence. Among the group were 21 engineers and scientists from around the world, all participating in Biomimicry’s new accelerator program—emerging leaders exploring how their work can reflect ecological principles and systems thinking.

Learn more at our blog:
https://www.uplandscenter.org/retreat-spotlight-biomimicry/

Photography credit: Jessah Serafini

11/13/2025

Northwell Health's Quality Management team is tasked with implementing the hospital system's strategic plan for quality healthcare: measuring and reporting healthcare outcomes, realizing cost efficiencies, and promoting patient safety. This past September, the nurses and administrators held a Caregivers retreat at The Uplands.

The group arrived mid-afternoon on Friday, and sat down to a welcome dinner of sweet potato curry, chicken tikka masala and honey roasted carrots with several desserts. After their meal, they enjoyed a sound bath in the yoga studio, after which, several participants joined a night walk to make moon shadows and observe the stars.

Saturday morning began with a gentle yoga class, followed by a hearty breakfast and then a wellness walk. Afterwards, the group sat in the Meeting Room and held a staff meeting, while the rain came down outside. A warm soup for lunch led to a fire in the fireplace, as the dark skies passed through. In the afternoon, another Uplands-led team building activity in the art studio included several games and competitive art activities which prompted laughter and likely became the basis of some internal jokes. The skies cleared in time for a tour of the Uplands garden, followed by a sumptuous dinner of tuna, tofu fried rice, dumplings and blueberry crumble. After dinner and a game of “chicken” involving hot sauce, the group transitioned up to Cheriklo where they enjoyed a fire under the starlit skies. Intermittently through the afternoon and evening the group enjoyed the pool and hot tub, lounging in the spa area while listening to music.

Sunday morning, the group enjoyed a hearty breakfast of Mediterranean egg cups, home-made waffles and a blueberry lemon loaf, as well as oatmeal, fruit, yogurt and home fried potatoes from the Uplands garden, before they headed home to New York City and to their work.