About this Sacred Place
Minary’s Dream Alliance (MDA) supports youth and families across Caroline, Kent, and Dorchester Counties, with a particular focus on young people affected by opioid use disorder. Through mentorship, academic support, hands-on learning, and access to critical resources, MDA creates a safe and supportive environment where young people can connect, grow, and thrive.
Set on eight acres along Morgan Creek, MDA’s campus extends that sense of support into the outdoors, offering opportunities to learn from and engage with the surrounding land and water. While the grounds are intentionally alive with activity and discovery, MDA also saw the need for something quieter: a place where young people could step away, “sit out a bad day,” connect with nature, and simply be.
Together with MDA youth, families, and neighbors, Nature Sacred helped envision a quieter corner of the campus dedicated to stillness, reflection, and connection with nature. Through a community-led design process, that vision became a peaceful waterfront refuge where visitors can slow down and experience the landscape without an agenda.
Anchored by a Nature Sacred bench and Little Yellow Journal, the new Sacred Place complements everything happening across the larger campus. It gives youth and community members a place not only to learn, play, and grow, but also to sit, breathe, reflect, and find a moment of peace when they need it most.
Design Team
Miles Barnard, Nature Sacred Design Advisor, South Fork Studio
