ESBR Grateful for Fall 2023 Community Expeditions
Ludlow, VT: The Expeditionary School at Black River is grateful to share that this school year has been quite an exciting community exploration thus far. As the school year was set to begin, the focus was determined to delve into all the workings of the community. This included visiting and/or speaking with different departments within the Town, including the Water Treatment Facility, Dam Sites, and the Ludlow Transfer Station, all of which were able to offer unique perspectives on how the town was affected by the July flooding. ESBR even went so far as visiting the Springfield Dam early in the school year on what turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon. Students also spoke with our Town Manager, Brendan McNamara (pictured here with an ESBR student), which offered further clarification on the effects of the flooding on the community and the progress of rebuilding the Town. Furthermore, students also interviewed various organizations that support the Town, such as Black River Action Team, Black River Good Neighbor Services, and Okemo Valley TV.
Students also partook in several fundraising exchanges. Throughout last spring and over the summer, Aubuchon’s advertised the opportunity for patrons to round up their bill and the extra change would be donated to ESBR. The final tally would be matched by Aubuchon’s for a double donation. A couple students were able to venture to the hardware store and organize a photo op with a large presentation check (a la Publishers Clearing House!) for a total of $2,447.54. ESBR made sure to pay it forward as well, donating $1,000 share to the Black River Good Neighbor Services’ Flood Relief following a successful Chicken BBQ in August with the amazing support of the Ludlow Legion, raising just over $2000 to split with BRGNS. Students were present at BRGNS for the donation and later reflected in their journals on the importance of BRGNS and the support they provide for the community. As one student explained, it was “to help them give back to the community even more and to help the community after the flood.”
ESBR continues to be awed by this community. For such a small and quaint town, it is tremendous how many groups, organizations, and departments make up this area. The ability to allow students to explore these various factions first hand and the flexibility to put weight to this as an educational opportunity is the foundation of what the Expeditionary School means. ESBR is forever grateful and looks forward to future expeditions around town. Lastly, stay tuned for updates on ESBR’s Giving Tuesday 2023 Fundraising Campaign. It takes a village!
Further information on ESBR is available at esblackriver.org. If you would like to learn more about the school or get involved, please contact Gary Blodgett, Chair of the Board, at gblodgett@esblackriver.org or 802-558-3147. Giving Tuesday 2023 Link is available at the Expeditionary Committee Facebook Page. Donations can be made on the ESBR website or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 485, Ludlow, VT 05149.
