Support a Democracy Retreat and Workshop in Northern Maine

This house nurtures democracy.

My fundraising goal is small, and it's okay if you can't contribute. What's far more important is to come up this summer to participate, to engage with others, and to leave here energized and focused on winning back our democracy in 2026. Contact me via the link below.

In 2017 I bought the northernmost home in New England from a retired game warden as a vacation property, 30 yards from a footbridge into Canada. I've done some work on the structure and just put on a new roof, but I'm nudging 70 and don't have the income or the stamina to finish it myself. Right now it's... rustic.

Since November 5th, all my plans changed. Like many other small d democrats, I've been seeking a way to channel my angst, my confusion about what happened, and my concerns for our democracy into something constructive rather than wring my hands and moan. I keep coming back to the idea of establishing something like the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee that taught civil rights activists such as Rosa Parks methods for peaceful resistance and change. My cabin is barebones but comfortable, can sleep up to 8 people right now, and is as hard to get to as anywhere east of the Mississippi, unless you drive through Canada. I'm located in Estcourt Station, Maine, adjacent to Pohénégamook, Quebec and its namesake lake. Out the back door is 40 miles of North Maine Woods. Out the front, a beautiful Acadian village.

47.458789, -69.224461

I'm a retired nobody with a strong interest in democracy and how to preserve it for the future. I'd like to create a welcoming environment for like-minded citizens to teach and learn successful skill sets for aspiring young leaders, a summer camp for traumatized democrats if you will.

I can provide the location, even the beds, but not the groceries. Also, if anyone is good at putting up and mudding drywall, they would be very, very welcome. If this GoFundMe appeal is successful, I hope to have a very basic facility available for use by June 2025.

I set an initial goal of $3,000. That will get the drywall up and make the cabin more habitable for a group.

Suggestions are welcome. If you can't contribute money, contribute your ideas. If you're a member of an organization that needs a space to gather and trade ideas to restore democracy, please get in touch. The site is usable now, but still a work in progress.

p.s. I actually have the northernmost driveway... my property is behind the blue and yellow homes on the street.