My Nonprofit Reviews

The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation annually hosts a group of approximately 20 students from Pro-Vision School in Houston, Texas. The students visit New England to learn about America’s thirtieth president, but also to see a different part of the country. Each year their favorite part of the experience is the chance to hike and be in nature.

This year the Coolidge Foundation was very pleased to bring the students to Ramblewild. In previous years the students had hiked in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and loved that experience. But Ramblewild was an even bigger hit. Many of the students had very limited experience in nature and they were blown away by the forest. The students loved the aerial challenge course. They talked about it the rest of the trip and told me they hope we will take them back again next year.

We are very appreciative of Feronia Forward which provided a grant to help make our visit to Ramblewild possible. With a limited budget that had to be stretched across many activities during our five-day program with Pro-Vision, the generosity of Feronia Forward made the difference in enabling us to come to Ramblewild.

The end of our visit at Ramblewild had a special treat. Paolo and Valentina Cugnasca made time out of their busy schedules to come and speak to our students. They explained the value of conservation and described the many ways that a forest such as Feronia provides value. The students especially enjoyed learning about how water flows through a tree and all that is involved in producing a gallon of maple syrup. Mr. Cugnasca brought a few props along, including an old maple tap and a device that can be used to estimate the number of trees in a forest.

Our visit to Ramblewild was filled with adventure, fun, and much learning. We are grateful to Feronia Forward and everyone at Ramblewild for helping us provide such a fantastic experience to the students of Pro-Vision School. We hope to come back next year!

Matthew Denhart
Executive Director
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation