Glen Helen Gets a $100,000 Boost
The Glen Helen Association (GHA), has pledged $100,000 over
five years to the Glen Helen Ecology Institute.
GHA is a friends group that helps the Ecology Institute meet
its funding needs on a regular basis. The newly announced
gift is above and beyond the Association’s regular annual
support for the environmental stewardship of the Glen.
“This is part of our long-term commitment to preserving
the Glen,” said Tony Arnett, the Association’s president.
“We were heartened to know that the Glen is a part of
the $65 million Campaign for Antioch College, and we’re
proud to be part of that effort.”
Long a vital source of volunteer and financial support for
Glen Helen, the GHA designated the full pledge for the Glen.
“We are tremendously grateful to the members of GHA
for all they do,” said Bob Whyte, Executive Director
of the Ecology Institute. “This gift gives us a real
jump-start. It will provide wonderful momentum to the campaign
and encouragement for our volunteers.”
Even with the support of Antioch College and the GHA, the
Glen has been plagued by financial problems over the years,
Whyte noted. “The campaign is designed to build financial
stability for both the College and the Glen,” Whyte added.
The Ecology Institute has defined capital needs for renovation
and rebuilding facilities of $2.5 million and endowmentneeds
totaling $3.6 million.
“To be fully successful, our part of the Antioch campaign
would have to raise $6.1 million over the coming five years,”
Whyte pointed out. “That’s a prodigious task, but
people in this area and beyond do feel passionate about the
Glen. We’re building a cadre of volunteers to win their
support.”
By conservative estimates, the Glen gets more than 100,000
visitors yearly. Under the Ecology Institute’s auspices,
more than 2,500 school children and adults each year experience
environmental learning through the Glen’s Outdoor Education
Center, Trailside Museum and its Raptor program. Residential
and day programs, off-site presentations and summer Eco-Camp
all teach the importance of knowing and protecting the environment.
David Hergesheimer ’71,
a Yellow Springs resident and Chair of the Glen Helen Board
believes the emotional support for Glen Helen is shared by
generations of Antioch alumni. “An important part of
what funds we get will be from designations by alumni. Our
involvement in the campaign will help the College, as well
as the Glen,” he said. “I can’t think of an
alum I’ve met who doesn’t consider the Glen a wonderful
part of the Antioch experience. We’re helping increase
their support for the whole campaign.”
Glen Helen is a 1,000-acre nature preserve bequeathed to
Antioch College for educational purposes by the late Hugh
Taylor Birch in 1929. Antioch established the Glen Helen Ecology
Institute in 1996 to protect the Glen, manage its educational
programs and seek funds to support its activities. 
|
