Help us create Iowa's first 501c3 non-profit mental health & wellness space conveniently & lovingly nestled between Cedar Rapids & Marion (off Blairs Ferry Road) on 10 acres of tranquil urban forestry. Featuring walking trails, meditation spaces, campfire gatherings, goat yoga, wellness retreats and experiential glamping. Come enjoy morning coffee with goats or an evening around the campfire with friends.

Come as you are, leave feeling restored.

Mama's Sanctuary was created to honor the life & legacy of our "Mama" Barbara Hart. We want everyone who visits Mama's Sanctuary to feel the same love, safety and restoration that time with our Mama gave to us - so you can return to your community more rested, refreshed, and ready to "Live every day in the most positive and joyful way possible. Each new day is an opportunity to do good". This is our mission and truth.

In addition to the future on-site offerings listed above, Mama's Sanctuary will continue to offer public speaking engagement and empowerment workshops in our community working in conjunction with Azul Health. We have offered a variety of mental health & wellness workshops to individuals, groups & businesses, both locally and globally, supporting groups as far away as Israel, Ireland, India, Mexico, and Scotland. While we love the ripple effect our global reach can have, we know that there is a shortage of mental health professionals in 80% of our 99 counties in Iowa. We are working on a securing funding for a mobile bus that will facilitate bringing Mama's Sanctuary offerings to all of Iowa's counties.

About Us: Mama's Sanctuary was established in 2025. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit led by a diverse group of trailblazers in their fields. Our volunteers include nurses, professors, female & minority business owners, immigrants, entrepreneurs, mental health professionals (therapists & nurse practitioners), engineers, doctors, mothers, fathers, students, and more! After finding the perfectly located and tranquil parcel of land, many weeks were spent navigating the financing with local lenders. With only days before the purchase agreement expired, the traditional lenders we had been working with (some for weeks) ultimately said no. We experienced a catch-22 of sorts as this project does not qualify for the traditional funding options like SBA due to the unique nature & zoning of the land (uh, yeah...it is uniquely perfect for our needs....it offers us almost 8 acres of beautiful uninhabited woods). Some board members offered personal assets as guarantee but lenders would not budge. This unique idea of urban retreat space and experiences (affordable glamping & saunas with forest views!) was not something our local community leaders or banks had seen before (yes, we are the FIRST to do this in the Midwest in an urban setting with our main focus on improving the mental health & wellbeing of our community through gentle, mindful movements & joyful encounters with nature & animals) which resulted in additional barriers to traditional funding options. While supportive and encouraging, neither city leaders nor the lenders we connected with could provide a solution before our deadline so we are asking our community to help us bring what will be an amazing asset to our community to life by "pre-purchasing" services through donation to our crowdsourcing efforts. In exchange for your tax deductible donation, you will receive a voucher for the experience(s) of your choice, redeemable as soon as Mama's Sanctuary is open. We have until ~~5/25/2026~~ 6/29/26 to crowdfund this project. I believe we can do this!

Every person matters and every dollar gets us closer to our goal. Please consider donating to this worthy cause and be a part of the start of something wonderful for our community and world.

UPDATES:

6/12/2026: Fantastic updates & so many answered prayers!
1. Our seller has graciously extended our purchase agreement until the end of June.
2. We have a local lender who understands and supports our vision and is working hard to help us finance a loan for a portion of the purchase price of the property. Please pray that our appraisals go well in the weeks ahead so we can close on this loan.
3. We received our "official" IRS 501(c)3 designation letter.
4. We will be at the Marion Farmer's Market Saturday June 13th from 8am-noon. Come see us under the sun shades and enter to win a prize!
5. We started a Brick Campaign. We will have engraved bricks for our meditation space, walking trails and campfire circle. Honor your loved one, your business, or simply make your mark by becoming a permanent part of Mama's Sanctuary as we (literally) pave the way to opening our doors! Learn more/order bricks at: https://www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/mamassanctuary
5/15/2026: Mama's Sanctuary was featured on KZIA Z102.9 FM radio when board member Megan Hart-Fernandez & family hosted "The Morning Scramble" from their home. https://www.kzia.com/poolside-with-the-fernandez-famly/ During this broadcast, the Fernandez Family was gifted $500 to Slumberland Furniture. They have donated this to Mama's Sanctuary and have challenged us to raise 100k by 5/22 (Megan's birthday). When we meet our goal of 100k, one lucky donor will win the $500 Slumberland gift card via random number generator (live drawing). $1 donated = 1 entry to win. The more you donate, the more chances to win! Donations can be made through this page, Venmo @mamas-sanctuary or check/money order mailed to 1035 Blairs Ferry Rd Marion, IA 52302.
5/14/2026: A generous private individual donor in Marion, IA has kindly extended us a 0% interest loan of 100k with very reasonable repayment terms. We love the heart & spirit of Iowans!
- Thomas Howard Security Agency has generosity pledged to donate both security cameras and the installation of the cameras for our goat barn. https://thomashowardsecurity.com/
- Mextizo Mexican Restaurant 1140 Blairs Ferry Rd NE Cedar Rapids has generously pledged to donate 3% of all sales on 5/15/15 to Mama's Sanctuary https://mextizomx.com/
- Ohana Poke Shop 2931 7th Ave Marion, IA 52302 has generously pledged to donate $1 for every "The Iowan" bowl sold through 5/17/26 to Mama's Sanctuary because as they said, if anyone can come together to make this happen, it's Iowans! Thank you Ohana Poke Shop! https://www.ohanapokeshop.com/
5/13/2026 www.mamas-sanctuary.org started crowdfunding efforts & our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/goatyogaiowa

Mama's Sanctuary -Help build Iowa's 1st non-profit mental health & wellness space. Urban acreage feat. mindful movement, animal-assisted therapies.