On the evening of Friday, May 16, the Camphill Association of North America gathered at Camphill Soltane for a joyful and heartfelt celebration honoring Jerry Schwartz with the Camphill Lifetime Achievement Award.
The festive event took place during the Camphill North America regional meeting and served as a meaningful recognition of Jerry’s decades of dedication to the Camphill movement. Throughout the evening, colleagues, friends, and fellow community members reflected on Jerry’s contributions — highlighting not only his leadership and advocacy but also his deep personal commitment.
Coleman Lyles (Camphill Communities California) took us on a moving and insightful journey through Jerry’s life, highlighting the milestones, relationships, and commitment that have shaped his impact on so many communities.
“We live in an age where there is a tendency for humanity to split into two. On one side, there are the idealists with their heads, supposedly, in the clouds, and on the other, the realists with their feet, supposedly, on the ground. And, supposedly, never the twain shall meet. It is a defining feature of anthroposophy that it sees in this tendency a challenge to humanity. The two can and should meet, and it is within the human soul that the meeting takes place. Camphill’s success is due in large part to a recognition of this challenge to unite the two, and therefore it is no wonder that an individual such as Jerry Schwartz, whose life exemplifies practical idealism, discovered Camphill.
Since 1995, when he formally joined the Copake board, Jerry has played an important role in the financial and organizational life of the North American Region of Camphill as a financial advisor, board member, mentor, and friend. As well as Camphill Copake, he has served on the boards and committees of an astonishing number of Camphill entities, including the Camphill Foundation, Camphill Soltane, Camphill Ghent, Camphill Association, Camphill Heartbeet, and Camphill Cascadia. For thirty years, he has effectively advocated for Socially Responsible Investing principles that have become the defining feature of our Region’s investment activity. The firm he founded, Arista Advisors, has provided a wide range of enlightened services to meet the needs of the big and the small, the single individual, as well as major organizations.”
Here is how Shelley Burtt shared about her time working with Jerry: “You have continued to serve the international, regional, and individual expressions of the Camphill spirit with selfless dedication. Through your quiet, steady, good-humored, and assured presence, you have gently brought countless board members to a fuller understanding of the true purpose of financial resources and a greater appreciation for the spiritual energy of money. On a personal note, for the eight years I served Camphill Foundation as executive director, I could count on your calm perspective and expertise as chair of the Investment Committee and on your invaluable wisdom as a member of our Executive Committee.”
“.. it is this multifaceted picture of your service that will reveal the full impact of your gifts to Camphill. My special appreciation is thus for what you made possible in the particular moment of time when we worked together on behalf of Camphill Foundation. Thank you, thank you for all you offered of yourself, all you gave of your time and expertise, and for the difference you made for future generations through your generosity and leadership over the past decades.”
The Camphill Lifetime Achievement Award is reserved for individuals who have made a profound and lasting impact on the Camphill movement, and Jerry’s recognition is a testament to the legacy he continues to build.
