Slightly Charred, Fully Committed
A fall evening around the fire at Fairmount, and an invitation to every HAW family.
On Saturday evening, more than 100 of you joined us at Fairmount and walked the land that will be our new home for the first time. The children didn’t wait to be shown around. They headed straight out onto the land as if they had been coming here for years. Within minutes they had found apples and were planning an apple business, and a small crew had started digging the foundation for the new school.
The grown-ups moved a little more slowly. I watched families holding hands and walking the trail through the tall grass, looking around as if they were picturing what it will be like when we arrive. It’s a moment I’ll carry with me for a long time.
We don’t think of Fairmount as land we own. It’s land we are privileged to walk on and care for, and to share with your children.
Thank you to the Ruthven Sisters for their beautiful music, to HAW parent Frances Beatty for capturing the evening in photos, and to our bonfire committee for quietly taking care of every detail. It meant a great deal to gather with all of you.
If you couldn’t make it, this is what I shared around the fire.
A spot at HAW
More than 200 children are on our waitlist. If your child has a spot at HAW, your family is one of the lucky ones. Maybe someone thought ahead and put their name down early, and they deserve a thank-you. But there’s also some luck of the draw in it, and most of us know a family who is still waiting.
Every spot at HAW exists because someone before you helped build it. Our new home protects those spots and makes room for more children. We can’t do it without you.
Why now
Our lease at Heathcote ends in September 2027, the same month our new school opens. Children will move straight from one home to the next, with no gap and no lost spaces.
Phase 1 is a 4,000-square-foot school that protects all 42 of our licensed spaces. Phase 2 adds 26 new spaces, so more families on that waitlist finally get the call.
Feversham families, this land is for you too. Your children will come here for day trips, workshops and adventures.
Where we are
The new home costs $1.4 million. HAW is investing $700,000 of our own resources, and our community is raising the other $700,000. To date, we’ve raised $111,415 of $700,000.
How your family can help
Give. One-time or monthly, and every gift receives a tax receipt. $50 a month for two years adds up to $1,200. Thinking about a larger gift? I’d love to talk with you.
Open a door. Do you know a business owner, a family foundation, or a grandparent who cares about kids growing up outdoors? An introduction is one of the most valuable gifts right now.
Lend a hand. Join our Capital Fundraising Committee, help plan our spring gala on May 29, 2027, or offer your trade or professional skills.
There is no expected amount, only an invitation to be part of building something that will last.
Someone built the HAW your child knows.
Now it’s our turn to build it for the children who come next.
Kim Edwards is the Executive Director and founder of Hundred Acre Wood, a licensed, non-profit forest school and childcare centre in Grey County, Ontario. To learn more about the Small Feet, BIG Change campaign or to support the project, visit haw.ca/donate
