Mission Statement
Our Mission...
High Spirit Community Farm fulfills an essential need for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing meaningful work, a dignified home,
and a rich social and cultural life. To that end High Spirit:
Click the bullet points befow to learn more:
• Provides and supports life-sharing homes where
our community members live as part of a nuclear
family
• Directs a land-based program, open to all in the
region, offering on the job training in agricultural
work and sustainable practices
• Expects our members to be responsible,
participatory, considerate citizens of the High
Spirit community and the larger world
Trains young volunteers to provide care to disabled peers and inspires them to be leaders as respectful, inclusive and conscientious adults
Serves as a catalyst for Massachusetts to move from institutional care to a model that nurtures the well-being of individuals, the community and the environment
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Click Board Member's names to learn more
David Eaton
Martha Bedell
Eric Maskin
Shippen Page
Jennie Reins
Bob Swain,
President
Peter Von Mertens,
Treasurer
Ginny Swain,
Clerk
Dea Angiolillo
Great Barrington
Our farm is located in the cozy Berkshire town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Great Barrington is in the south west corner of the state, bordered by New York to the west and Connecticut to the south. Great Barrington is a culturally and historically rich community, and is home to several life-sharing communities that gracefully incorporate the arts, entertainment, and the natural beauty of the region into everyday life.
Cambridge
Our development office is located in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Having our office close to Boston provides us with the opportunity to reach out to friends and families in both the Eastern and Western regions of the great state of Massachusetts.
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Provides life-sharing homes where our
community members live as
part of a nuclear family
- BACK TO OUR MISSION -
Page 10
Directs a land-based program, open to all in the region, offering on the job training in agricultural work and sustainable practices
- BACK TO OUR MISSION -
Page 11
Expects our members to be responsible, participatory, considerate citizens of the High Spirit community and the larger world
- BACK TO OUR MISSION -
Page 12
Trains young volunteers to provide care to disabled peers and inspires them to be leaders as respectful, inclusive and conscientious adults
- BACK TO OUR MISSION -
Page 13
Serves as a catalyst for Massachusetts to move from institutional care to a model which nurtures the well-being of individuals, the community, and the environment
- BACK TO OUR MISSION -
eric maskin
Eric Maskin
Eric Maskin is a professor at Harvard University. He also serves as a board member of the Camphill Foundation. His son, Joseph, is a graduate of Camphill Special School and is now a resident of North Plain Farm, a neighboring life-sharing community in Great Barrington. Eric won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2007.
- BACK TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS -
Photo Credit: Cliff Moore
dave eaton
Dave Eaton
Dave is a Partner and Group Sector Leader with Global Novations, an international management consulting firm. Dave is an experienced global consultant and is a frequent speaker in public and private company forums all over the globe. Dave resides with his wife Jennifer, and their four children, in Concord, MA. He is an active coach, volunteer, and serves on three boards: Dix & Eaton (Public Relations), Up with People (Cultural Exchange/Musical Group), and High Spirit Community Farm.
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peter and dea
Peter von Mertens &
Dea Angiolillo
Dea Angiolillo and Peter von Mertens are a team as well as husband and wife. Married in the fall of 2010 but together for the past 8 years. Dea is a primary care physician, mother of three grown kids - including Will who lives at Seekonk House - and an enthusiastic hiker and traveler. Peter is a retired middle school teacher, builder, and father of two adult children. He enjoys exploring, cooking and completing crossword puzzles with Dea.
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ginny swain
Ginny Swain
Ginny Swain is currently the Chair of Development at High Spirit. Ginny and her husband Bob Swain are parents of three children. Their son Bar is 23 years old, lives and works at High Spirit Community Farm, and is thriving there. Ginny and Bob have been involved with High Spirit since the initial concept meetings, and continue to work to ensure that High Spirit is strong and will serve more individuals and families in need.
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bob swain
Bob Swain
Bob is a geologist and the founder and President of Trap Rock Oil Company. He was not paying attention when the Directors of High Spirit Community Farm were asked, Who wants to be President? It was a classic case of everyone but Bob taking a quick step back. Bob and his wife Ginny are the parents of three, their eldest being High Spirit's fourth resident, Bar. Everything of importance that Bob has learned, he learned from his twenty-three year old son Bar. Bob served on Camphill Special Schools Finance Committee, Philanthropic Programs Committee and Board for six years. Along with his duties as President of High Spirit and Trap Rock, Bob is currently the President of the Beaver Run Foundation.
-BACK TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS-
As human beings, we all experience the same universal needs. We need to be surrounded by those who care about us. We need to express ourselves and our emotions. We want to be valued, and considered to be contributing positively to others' experiences and the productivity of something. High Spirit not only recognizes, but celebrates, invites, and encourages the expression of these needs and many others as well.
Office: 4 Brattle Street, Suite 303 Cambridge, MA 02138 p: 617- 699 -2231 Farm: 144 Seekonk Cross Road Great Barrington, MA 01230 p: 413-717-4034
