By #12146 Jim, #23646 Amy Caffry, and #20404 Miranda Dils

For more than 100 years, Dudley and Kiniya alums have been called to pursue a path in life where they have the opportunity to “lead lives characterized by devotion to others.” There are countless ways to live the Dudley motto every day, and sometimes, alumni find their lives intersect, bringing them to the same place at the same time. 

One of these intersections happened as #12146 Jim and #23646 Amy Caffry and #20404 Miranda Dils discovered their shared passion for being part of an “intentional community.” The one they have in common provides support and care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Residents of these communities provide support and care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All of the things that we love about living and thriving at Camp—supporting others with integrity and respect, pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones, and living together in a community with a learning culture of inclusion, acceptance, fun, and genuine celebration of our unique gifts, are all present in these intentional communities. Here people with and without disabilities come together to share life and support each other. 

Here are their stories.

#12146 Jim Caffry’s Story   

When I arrived at Camp Dudley as a “first-generation” Cub in August of 1977, I had no idea how much putting “the other fellow first” would be such a dominant force in my life 48 years later. After spending all or part of 12 summers in Westport between 1977 and 1994, I was starting to get a clue how important Dudley was to me. The magnitude of its importance in my life became clear by 1997 when #23646 Amy and I got married, and 40 people from Camp were at our wedding. 

In 2002, our son #24146 Duncan was diagnosed with regressive autism, and “Team Caffry’s” path took a dramatic turn. Once again, our Dudley community surrounded us with support and encouragement, gently nudging us forward when we needed it. Throughout the next decade, our daughters #22146 Emma and #23146 Molly became a part of our journey forward. What was next? What did we need to do to secure the best life possible for all of our children? Fast forward a decade to 2012 (and it did feel pretty fast), and another momentous event for our family took place—Duncan started attending the Camphill School in PA, the only accredited Waldorf school in North America specifically for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (“I/DD”). The Camphill School was a game changer for Duncan—a place where students received the support they needed and the patience and encouragement to try new things, as well as an expectation that everyone could make a meaningful contribution to the common good. Sounds kinda familiar. 

Fast forward another decade to 2022 (yeah, that one flew by too), when Duncan finished his amazing time at the Camphill School. Duncan came home to Vermont, and he entered an adult services system that had little to offer him. After some fits and starts, we teamed up with the Campbell family in September of 2022, and started down the path to creating a meaningful life for our sons. By June of 2023, Riverflow Community came into existence… even if only on paper.  

Over the next 16 months, Riverflow grew to include another founding family. It was also incredibly important that “Team Riverflow” was joined by two couples with decades of experience in creating and living in intentional communities. It was critical to our success to have the Riverflow effort guided by experienced people who had so much knowledge about creating a community where people with and people without I/DD, share a meaningful life filled with respect, support to all, and contribution from all. During that time an eight-bedroom house in Monkton, VT was purchased, renovated, and ready to open its door in October 2024 for Duncan and three other young adults with I/DD. 

Getting Riverflow up and running has been rather stressful and overwhelming at times, but it has been an unexpected joy to work with Miranda to put the vision into action.

#20404 Miranda Dils’ Story

Before I became a camper at Kiniya, I spent my summers living down the road from Dudley and experiencing hymn sings, chapel, and weekly shows with my family, getting a taste of the magic of Camp. I come from a long line of Dudleyites. From 2007-2015, I attended Kiniya as a camper, aide, JL, AL, and Leader and returned as a staff member in 2019.

My own camper experience first opened me up to the power, joy, and necessity of community. I struggled with homesickness, and the support I received from my leaders and peers allowed me to push through this personal challenge to fully embrace the gifts and opportunities of Camp. I found meaning and aliveness in my leadership roles, guiding young girls and women through the rhythms of a cabin experience. Seeing them discover their own sense of belonging and strength became a full-circle affirmation of the gifts of Camp’s magic. 

The community immersion, human connection, and spirit of serving others at the heart of Kiniya led me to seek out similar environments in my young adulthood. After college, I moved to Minneapolis to live in a Quaker-based intentional community where I served at a non-profit using the framework of nonviolence as a tool for social change. I didn’t know anyone in the city before making this big move, but knowing I’d be sharing life with others committed to the same values was the main factor emboldening me to take this leap.

Currently, I live in an intentional community in Hudson, NY, called Triform, where I share life and support young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Triform is part of a broader international movement called Camphill. The residents at Triform strive towards developing greater independence and work skills alongside coworkers like myself. I live in a house of seven people and spend my days working in a pottery studio, cooking, helping lead classes, assisting residents with personal care and daily tasks, and sharing in community life with about 100 people. Triform and Camp have a great deal in common. Both follow a daily rhythm, create and share meals, and gather as a full community to celebrate spiritual and seasonal events. We also care for one another, contribute as we are able, and uplift each other’s strengths. Each person holds a unique and important role.

When I first learned about the vision for Riverflow from the Caffrys, I was excited to find another Camphill-inspired community. It’s not surprising that Camp was the serendipitous connector two summers ago. I had the honor of sharing a message as the chapel speaker in July 2023. In it, I mentioned I was planning to move back to the East Coast to join a Camphill community. After lunch, #22146 Emma Caffry greeted me and shared that her older brother #24146 Duncan had lived in three different Camphill communities over the past decade. 

I learned that Emma’s parents, Jim and Amy were in the early stages of co-founding their own intentional community in Vermont. They’ve worked tirelessly to help create a community where Duncan and others with similar needs will receive the support they need and the respect and purposeful life they deserve. Fast forward to last January 2024, when I personally connected with the Caffrys. On our first phone call, we shared an instant bond over the beauty of these communities, their parallels to Dudley and Kiniya, and our passion for this social initiative that we’ve each arrived at separately. Since then, I’ve formed a special friendship with the Caffrys and their wider Riverflow circle, joining the founding Riverflow Board of Directors early last year. I now serve as that board’s vice president. It’s been wonderful to have the chance to contribute to this blossoming community in Vermont whose mission I care deeply about. I’ll be pursuing a Master’s in Social Work in Maine this coming fall and plan to continue working with this unique population. 

To learn more about Riverflow, its needs and the work being done there, visit riverflowcommunity.org. 

To learn more about Triform, visit triform.org.