The Randolph Foundation

Foundation News

The 6th annual Randolph Story Slam, sponsored jointly by the Randolph Foundation and the Randolph Church, will be held on Saturday 8/6/22 at 4 PM. The Randolph Weekly will have event details. View previous Story Slams on the Randolph Foundation's YouTube channel.

The Randolph Foundation Annual Meeting will be on Friday 8/12/22 at 7 PM. The Weekly will have more details!

The Randolph Foundation will turn 60 in 2022! After reading about the history of the Randolph Foundation and those who founded this wonderful organization, it makes me proud to serve as President. From its beginnings in the early 1960s, the Foundation's leadership has continuously changed, but the dedication to its mission has never wavered. Our role is to support efforts in Randolph to maintain a sense of community, preserve those special natural resources within our Town, and help improve the lives of our residents and neighbors.

The Foundation would not succeed if not for the dedication and hard work of those people who donate their valuable time to serve as directors:

Since the Foundation is a volunteer organization, 100% of your donations go directly to the programs serving the mission. Two of those special projects completed in the past 12 months, include:

In addition, there are the annual educational scholarships for Randolph students, Lifeline services for residents, three publications for the community, and the oversight of Randolph's upcoming bicentennial celebration in 2024.

Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts or ideas you may have about how the Randolph Foundation can help our community.

On behalf of the Randolph Foundation Board of Directors, I thank you for your support.

Mark Kelley

Mission:

The Randolph Foundation was created, and is sustained, by the residents and friends of Randolph, New Hampshire. The Foundation supports the needs of Randolph and its neighboring towns in a variety of areas including conservation, communication, education, recreation, town history, leadership, health and welfare, and other important issues as determined by the Board of Directors and the Randolph community.

History:

In 1960, the Ravine House, a well-known North Country Inn, closed its doors. A group of Randolph citizens formed a community foundation to preserve the Ravine House property from private development by placing it in a trust. The original incorporators were Douglas Horton, Gordon Lowe, Miriam Underhill, James Alexander and Katherine Wood. Hershner Cross was appointed auditor. The Randolph Foundation's Articles of Agreement, formally establishing the organization, were recorded on August 20, 1962.

In 1966, 51 acres, including the swimming pool, park and Durand Lake were deeded to the town of Randolph. That same year the Randolph Foundation began an educational scholarship program that provided a scholarship to any Randolph resident for post secondary education. The Foundation also pledged to support the maintenance and upkeep of the swimming pool, the Ravine House site, Durand Lake and the tennis court. The Foundation retained ownership of one original Ravine House Site parcel that includes Crystal Spring - the water source for the Ravine House bathhouses and drinking fountain, as well as several private homes.

In 1987, Hershner Cross, President, along with the other directors of the Randolph Foundation reaffirmed that the priorities of the Foundation should be; educational scholarships, up keep of the Ravine House pool and site, Durand Lake, support for the elderly, support for the town cemetery, and compiling the town's historical records.

In 1989, the Katherine Wood Memorial Program was established providing matching grants to senior citizens for the Lifeline Emergency Response system.

In 1990, Hershner Cross created the Bowers-Cross Memorial Fund of the Randolph Foundation to fund The Mountain View, the Randolph Weekly, and/or successor publications. These publications were to be distributed free of charge to Randolph residents.

The Randolph Foundation has made significant grants over the years to support the bridges, shelters and camps of the Randolph Mountain Club. In 2010, The Foundation worked with the Mountain Club and the Town of Randolph to purchase the Mt. Crescent Trailhead property for inclusion in the Randolph Community Forest. The Foundation has also made gifts to support other purchases for the Randolph Community Forest, as well as shelving for the Randolph Public Library.

The Randolph Foundation Priorities:

Publications

The Foundation funds the quarterly Mountain View which is sent to over 700 homes, The Blizzard, which is sent to 200 local residents in the winter and The Randolph Weekly which is distributed every Friday during the months of July and August. See our publications page....

Scholarships

Since 1966, the Randolph Foundation has awarded scholarships to eligible Randolph residents to pursue their studies at the post-secondary level. See our scholarship page for details.

Grants

The Foundation awards grants for special projects that benefit the Town, its residents and the surrounding communities. View our Grant Guidelines here....

Lifeline

The Foundation supports the Lifeline service which equips the user with a lightweight button for emergency use. This service, which connects to the New England Emergency Response System, provides residents access to help immediately in an emergency. More information about Lifeline here....

Ravine House Site/Durand Lake

The Randolph Foundation oversees and supports the yearly mowing around Durand Lake and the Ravine House site as well as maintenance of the tennis court and the Ravine House pool. Read more about the Recreation area here...

Durand Lake
Lake Durand Photo taken by Mary Gail Scott

The Foundation can be reached by mail at:
Randolph Foundation
PO Box 283
Gorham, NH 03581

Or by email at:
randolphnhfoundation@gmail.com

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