Campus for Mindful Adventure
Planting Roots
For the first seven years since our inception, Hearty Roots was portable. Our classroom was wherever young people needed us—a public preserve, a school courtyard, or the shoreline of Muscongus Bay. We'd pack trailers, load boats, haul gear, and meet kids where they were. We still do.
But in 2024, something extraordinary happened. Thanks to the vision and generosity of Eleanor Kinney and The Peter Alfond Foundation, we became the stewards of a remarkable piece of conserved land in Bremen. Their belief in our mission made it possible for Hearty Roots to begin planting roots of our own.
We don’t see ourselves as owners of this land. We see ourselves as its caretakers. Every trail we’ve restored, every stone we’ve moved, and every decision we’ve made has been guided by gratitude for this place and responsibility to the young people who will grow here long after us.
being built while being loved
For the past two years, we’ve been doing something a little unusual: running programs on this land while simultaneously caring for it and shaping it into a long-term home for young people. While kids were paddling, building forts, gathering around campfires, and exploring the woods, our team and volunteers were clearing trails, building a privy, constructing a pavilion, and restoring overgrown areas to create safe, welcoming spaces for future generations.
That’s why this campus has never been about buildings. It’s about creating a place where relationships can deepen, where adventure can happen safely year-round, and where every young person knows they belong.
A Campus Built Around Kids
There’s nothing quite like this in Maine. We aren’t just a summer camp. We have now a permanent home where every trail, cabin, and gathering space exists to support one thing—young people forming lasting relationships through outdoor adventure. As you explore the recently unveiled master plans by Carson Douglas Landscape Architecture and Knickerbocker Group, we hope you don’t just see buildings. We hope you see a young person reaching a campfire on an accessible trail. A teen stepping into leadership. A community investing in the next generation.
Help Us Finish Phase Two
We’re close! The next $14,000 unlocks $150,000, bringing $400,000 to complete Phase 2: a well, welcome pavilion, gear and maintenance barn, and universally accessible trail and cabin.
Phase 3 will follow with the Peter Alfond Heartquarters, biking paths, and a hobby farm.
Every gift moves this vision forward. Because at Hearty Roots, we’re not building a campus.
We’re growing a community where kids come first—where they return year after year, known by name, surrounded by trusted mentors, and grounded in belonging.
If this vision speaks to you, we’d be honored to have you help us finish Phase 2.
