JANUARY 18, 2017 – Proceeds from a young camper’s cookie sale have pushed the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire over its goal of meeting a $22,500 matching grant from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to build a dining hall/classroom addition at Barry Conservation Camp in Berlin, NH. With the basic building costs of $45,000 now raised, the state bidding and approval process has begun through the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
“Thanks to many camp alumni, supporters and corporations, and the generosity of the Tillotson Fund, we were able to reach our goal!” said NH Wildlife Heritage Foundation Board Chairman Stev
e White. “The most touching donation was from Hannah Verville, an 11-year-old Barry Camper who wanted to help improve what she calls ‘the best camp ever!’” Hannah decided to bake cookies to raise money, and within three days of sending an email to neighbors, classmates and her mother’s work colleagues, Hannah had orders for over 80 dozen cookies. Hannah mixed and baked all the cookies herself over the Christmas holiday weekend, and with additional donations to support her, she raised an astounding $917 for the fundraiser, which she presented to Foundation Administrator Gail Huntting.
The new screened-in room at Barry Camp will expand the available space for campers and staff at mealtimes, as well as adding covered classroom space for use during inclement weather. Funds are still being raised to provide furnishings and landscaping to complete the building project, and can be made online by going to our Donate page above or by check (specify Barry Camp addition) payable to the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH, PO Box 3993, Concord, NH 03302.
Barry Conservation Camp hosts more than 260 campers each summer. For 30 years, the camp has thrived as the place where the love and respect for the outdoors is shared by one generation to the next. Run by UNH Cooperative Extension and NH Fish and Game, the camp focuses on increasing the campers’ knowledge of and appreciation for the natural world, as well as providing opportunities to hike, camp, fish, shoot and learn wilderness survival skills.