
Q&A with Maggie Raemer Moyers, BSN '21, who weaves past and present experience with education to foster community and inclusion
Tell us about your current workplace setting and population?
I work in the operating room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in a variety of service lines from general surgery and transplant, to spine and ortho.
In addition to your clinical work, you have also started The Ashmere Project? Tell us about it.
The Ashmere Project, which takes place in the Berkshires, is a two-week residential retreat for individuals with and without disabilities. Its mission is to create a community that celebrates diversity and fosters inclusion, independence and equity through friendship. Everyone who participates at Ashmere contributes to the community in whatever way works for them. It is a volunteer-run community which means that no one pays to attend, no one gets paid, and everyone chips in to make it a great experience for all. The Ashmere Project is a retreat where we support each other and where lifelong friendships are formed.
Why did you start the Ashmere Project?
Before I got my BSN and became a registered nurse in May 2021, I studied special education and worked in the field, in some capacity, over the last 15 years. While working in the special education world, I noticed how many services there are for children with disabilities, versus the lack of services for adults; they lose many of their services at 22 years old and are often left in a situation without opportunities for community. Even the best day programs and group homes struggle to keep staff, making it challenging for everyone to access these services. I am passionate about providing a community like Ashmere where adults can be adults! Last summer, a group of friends and I started the Ashmere Project to realize our vision of creating a community that celebrates diversity as well as fosters inclusion, independence, and equity through friendship.