Central Oregon Men
Who We Are
Our Mission
Central Oregon Men exists to develop a vibrant community of men engaged in personal growth work — becoming healthy, connected, centered men who take leadership and responsibility for their own lives, their families, and their community. We serve men throughout Central Oregon, including Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Prineville, and La Pine.
Our Vision
To steward a vibrant community and ecosystem of men committed to personal growth — engaged in men's work, more accountable, centered, and vital.
Core Values
- Accountability
- Confidentiality
- Connectedness
- Authenticity
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Truth
- Leadership
- Service
- Purpose
- Compassion
- Love
Our Goals
- Provide men with the support, tools, and resources to become better men
- Grow a larger community of active, engaged men who are accountable and contribute to our mission
- Foster connection groups, circles, workshops, and trainings — including circles that welcome new men — and improve outreach and follow-up for new brothers
- Build partnerships and connection with other men's and women's groups, organizations, and communities
- Host regular community gatherings, nature-based events, and service projects to build connection and give back
- Hold rituals and ceremonies — drumming circles, bonfires, sweat lodges, vision quests, and more
How We Got Here
Central Oregon Men began in the fall of 2025, when a group of men with years of experience in men's work set out to build a stronger, more connected community. Our goal is a community hub where men's groups and organizations work together, support each other, and stay connected.
We build on deep roots. Men's work has been alive in Central Oregon for over twenty years, through local circles, trainings, and organizations such as the ManKind Project. Over the years, circles such as High Desert Warriors, Flamekeepers Fire Circle, Wild Warriors of the East, and the Men's Connection Group have grown from that foundation. Today, Central Oregon Men keeps growing. New groups, trainings, retreats, and community gatherings are taking shape, giving men more ways to connect, learn, and serve. See what's coming up on our Men's Groups and Events page.
What We Believe
Many men today feel lost. The old rules told us to be tough, stay in control, and handle everything alone. When men are only told what not to be, loud voices online rush to fill the gap. We believe in a fuller vision of manhood: strong and tender, grounded in character, emotional honesty, and care for others. Young men need older men who listen, and men of every age need a brotherhood that notices them. We see accountability as an act of love: telling the truth, repairing harm, and staying in relationship as we grow. A healthier masculinity is good for everyone.
Where We're Going
We're building a village: a place where men find support, lasting friendships, and ways to serve, and where young men find mentors and elders.
In the years ahead, we hope to:
- Offer mentorship and rites of passage for young men
- Support fathers and sons
- Tend grief as a community
- Partner with women's circles and other organizations
- Someday, open a community center of our own
Want to help build it?
Get startedWhat Is Men's Work
Men's work is about developing a healthy inner core. In tribal cultures, this once happened through rites of passage, initiation, and the guidance of elders — practices that have largely disappeared from modern life.
Men today are often given conflicting messages about masculinity — that it's toxic, or that it barely exists at all. At the same time, men are asked to show up bigger at home and at work, to model something better for younger men, and to help right the wrongs of a culture built on patriarchy. Real men's work means reaching back to the roots of what shaped us, questioning what we've been told about being a man, and reclaiming the parts of ourselves we've hidden, rejected, or been shamed for. It means going into the shadow, finding the parts of ourselves locked away there, and bringing them back — becoming more whole, more integrated, more real.
As Robert Bly put it, many of men's struggles are "dilemmas of mythology created by a culture unconscious of its tie to myth." Storytelling, poetry, ritual, and drumming can open that door back to the heart. Michael Meade said it simply: "When the world seems to lose all sense and meaning, it is usually 'mythic sense' that is missing."
Board of Directors
Theodore C. FowlerFounder & President
Ted founded Central Oregon Men with a mission to build a vibrant community of men here in Central Oregon. Ted has been involved in men's work for over twenty years, he's an elder in the C.O. community, and has served as Community Coordinator as well as on the MKP-Northwest board of directors. Ted is retired after a long career as a financial consultant and life coach. He lives in Bend, Oregon and enjoys hiking, fly-fishing and cross-country skiing. He has served on several non-profit boards including Good Grief Guidance and Petersen Rock Garden.
Andrew BelinskySecretary
Andrew has spent over 14 years in the men's work and healing space, initiated with the ManKind Project in 2012 and trained with Sacred Sons in 2017. He's the founder of Masculine Embodiment, an online yoga studio and men's work practice built around moving men out of their heads and into their bodies through movement, breath, sound, and stillness. He's led, staffed, and hosted more than 20 men's retreats and workshops, sharing this work with thousands of students. Andrew lives in Bend, Oregon, where he teaches, plays pickleball, and raises his daughter.
Matthew CheshierTreasurer
Matthew has sat in men's circles for a decade, learning to accept all of himself and leaning into his leadership. He completed the ManKind Project's New Warrior Training Adventure in 2018, has staffed several initiation weekends, and leads the local weekly Men's Connection Group. He is honored to sit with men in their joy and their shame. Matthew moved to Bend in 2025 with his wife, and loves hiking with his dog, pickleball, and challenging indie games.
See moments from our circles, gatherings, and the land we love.
View the gallery