Kin: “House of Love”

Board Member of Main St. Missions and Director of Kin, Kristina Fenimore

By Natalya Bucuy

The Cardinal Managing Editor

"You know what's weird? I never had any doubts about Kin. The idea of a place where people who are going through cancer treatment can sort of repair themselves - it just made sense to me.” That is the voice of Kristina Fenimore, the Director of Kin Wellness Center. The voice that guides her in her daily mission of bringing light to those navigating the darkness of a cancer battle. I know, she brought some to mine.

Anyone who visits Kin in Buckingham feels at ease upon entering. It's the little, simple things. It's the colorful drawings on the walls that lift the spirit. It's the gumball machine filled with words of encouragement. It's Sunny, the ever-smiling furry greeter, who lives up to his name. And it's Kristina, whose happy curls, contagious smile, and soft presence make this place feel exactly what she calls it - "House of Love."

The Kin Labyrinth enjoyed by the over 400 active guests of Kin, is also open to the entire community.

The center opened in 2021 with a mission to help Bucks County residents battling cancer find calm and peace through free holistic wellness services. Community donations fund Kin’s operations, and volunteers comprise the staff. This is the center square of the village that comes together when cancer strikes close to home.

Kin operates in memory of Corinne Sikora, a local Bucks County resident. Before passing in 2020, Corinne had a vision. She wished for a communal wellness center. a retreat where people at all stages of their cancer journey could come together and heal. Over the last four years, Kristina and her husband, Keith Fenimore, have made that dream a reality.

The couple opened Kin with the intentions of offering a a full slate of services, including yoga classes, reflexology, chiropractic care, acupuncture, oncology massages, energy healing, and other holistic practices that now fill the center’s Art classes, writing and nutrition education workshops, a book club, a Mah Jong group, and peer-to-peer discussions all support Kin's mission. Through all its activities, the center allows patients and their caregivers to not only receive personalized healing services but engage with the community in a meaningful way.

We can’t do it alone, and we don’t!

Opening Kin was not something that Keith and I had ever done before," Kristina says. Before starting a family - hi, Kase and Kansas! • and settling in Bucks County, Kristina and Keith lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Kristina moved to LA from Salt Lake City, Utah, after college and interned as a production assistant in the entertainment business. Keith and Kristina moved once more 12 years ago and have since called Bucks County their home. 

"Keith, who is from New Hope, knew the area well and had some non-profit knowledge because of his success starting Pine 2 Pink, now Main St. [a local breast cancer support non-profit]." Kristina says. "We used that knowledge and those relationships we had already built within the community to inspire others to get behind the idea.”

"By the Community; for the community" is Kin's constant motto, as in their work. It's the community looking out for its own.” Kristina and Keith bring focus to social responsibility. "People want to give back more than ever before. Companies are finding ways to give back not only in monetary ways but in other creative ways," Kristina says.

Kin’s remote care partnerships program allows local businesses to provide complimentary services or goods to the center's guests outside of the Buckingham location. Barre3 Doylestown, Flip Dog Pilates, Solebury Market, Serenity Day Spa, Eden Organies Spa, Mallow Intentioned Skin Care, Doylestown Float Studio, Rituals By Dona French Hair Salon, Moravian Tileworks, Sellersville Kaleidoscope Angels, Bodies of Harmony, Karna Hair Design and Wellness Spa, Heart and Soul Works, Swede & Sour Bakery, Chefs Cut, Dragonfly Yoga Studio, the Center for Neuropsychology and Counseling, and Vitality Kitchen participate in this program. To be able to offer something like a complimentary meal to a guest who is not only struggling financially but also going through treatment is huge," Kristina says, "It's one less burden that someone has to think about.”

When we go, we go BIG!

Recently, Kin partnered with Holiday House Pet Resort. The company extends a monthly offer to three Kin guests, with the opportunity to bring their dogs for grooming. Kin has also benefited the community by becoming a teaching facility, creating opportunities for people to become certified in different healing modalities like Reiki and Access Bars. Alumni come back to Kin to volunteer or teach workshops and provide services.

Local schools also participate in supporting Kin and its guests. Doyle Elementary runs an economic fair, OLMC promotes a dress down day, the kids at Tohickon Middle School created a Kin snack cart, and some of the high schools raise funds through sports programs. "We always invite the kids, the faculty, and the parents to come to Kin for a tour so they can see where their money is going and meet some of the guests they are helping.”

"We thought Kin would be a place to come to for a service, but it's become so much more than that," Kristina says. "It came together in a magical way and is continuing to evolve. The outpouring of love that is shared between our guests, practitioners, and volunteers has been one of the most beautiful things to witness, and I think it's changed all of us.”

Leave your worries at the door, or bring them inside, "We'll help support your needs, "Kristina says. "Kin is not just a place; it's a home where a hug is always waiting for you. Connections form at Kin and grow into something bigger than anything else. People become lifelong friends, chosen family.”

And hugs are no small thing, as Kristina learned. One day, a woman named Sarah came in for a tour of Kin. At the end of it, she had tears in her eyes and asked if she could give Kristina a hug. She said, "You never know when it's going to be your last hug.” Kristina says.

That lesson continues to ring true for Kristina. When it comes to cancer, loss visits as an unwelcome, but frequent guest. "The most challenging part of Kin that 1 wasn't prepared for is when we lose a guest to their battle with cancer," Kristina says. -Sometimes I feel like my heart has tiny little papercuts on it. We are lucky because we usually get the pleasure of really knowing our guests; they share what they're going through, how they're feeling. So, there is a heartfelt connection that is made, and when we lose someone, it's very hard.

For Kristina, that loss goes beyond her work village. Since the beginning of her journey with Kin, she has lost both of her parents to cancer. "They both lived on the west coast," she says. "I wish they had a place to go to, like Kin, that would have given them the love and support that everyone should get when going through cancer treatment."

Other challenges come with operating Kin. "Some of the ones that keep me up at night are figuring out how to offer enough services to the growing number of people reaching out to us," Kristina says. Future goals for Kin include expanding beyond Bucks County with more locations.

Kristina's work since opening Kin has given her a better understanding of what's important to her. "I now understand how precious this life is, and I really try to cherish the good days and let the bad days pass," she says. "I am learning to find joy in everything I do." She learned that from Sandy, she says, another one of Kin's guests. "Sandy finds joy in cleaning the toilet because that means she feels well enough and has enough strength to do such a simple task," Kristina says. “It is an honor to be able to dedicate my life and talents to helping my community. I feel fortunate to be able to have the chance to brighten people's day and appreciate ‘the moments' with them."

In January, a flood devastated Kin's space, causing extensive damage and an overhaul of the center. The community came together, offering more volunteer help and donating alternative spaces to continue service. Disaster, as it often does, brings people closer together.

When Kin reopened, new floors and renovated spaces welcomed back guests, and smiles returned. Those of volunteers, instructors, and practitioners - there are over 50 of them today. That of Sunny, the dog. That of Kristina, an everyday hero, growing the Village.

On my own hardest days in the battle, I put a knit cap on my bald head. I walked slowly to my car, questioning each further step. I drove to Kin. There, I'd crawl through yoga class or nap in a chair. I'd get a book from a shelf or have some tea in the kitchen. I painted and made jewelry. I forgot I had cancer sometimes, and sometimes I discussed it with fellow "thrivers and survivors" in a way only those going through it could. And I didn't feel so alone.

It's the little things. For which I am grateful to Kristina and her House of Love, indeed.

Our collaborations with the community, like free organic food from Soulberry Market, is paramount to our success!

Kin is 100% donation-funded and always in need of support. Those interested can visit welcometokin.org