Founding Stories: Nelson and Betti Jaquay

The campaign to raise funding for our River Bend Farm project brings forth the opportunity for special people to be honored by family and friends through gifts in their name. Founding Stories is a series that spotlights the heartfelt stories of people and businesses whose life’s mission or business promise is to preserve our natural resources and promote conservation through educational programming. In several instances, our supporters have been inspired to raise funds from friends and family in honor of someone they hold dear. We look forward to this opportunity to share the intimate and inspired purpose of many gifts with our community!

Nelson and Betti Jaquay

Nelson and Betti Jaquay’s relationship with The Ecology School dates back to before its inception. The couple befriended Drew during their summer visits to Ferry Beach in the 1990s, when they traveled from their home in western Vermont to spend time along the Saco coast. When Drew shared his vision of opening an ecology-oriented school in the area, Nelson eagerly joined as a founding board member in 1998. He stayed on for nine years, happily traveling several hours from Vermont to attend Sunday morning meetings.

The couple has since remained close friends with Drew — Nelson even officiated Drew’s wedding — but their commitment to the school extends beyond this long-lasting friendship. They deeply believe in the school’s mission and the positive impact it has on the students who visit. Betti sees the work as critical, especially for children who grow up in urban areas without much or any access to nature. And Nelson, who has taught 5th and 6th grade for more than 30 years, notes that time spent at The Ecology School can have lifelong impacts on the ways young students view and interact with the world. “I just know how powerful experiences like this are later in life,” he says.

Over the years, the couple has serendipitously met alumni of The Ecology School across New England and even as far away as Washington State. They’re impressed by how positively these alumni speak of their time at The Ecology School, but they aren’t surprised. Nelson has shadowed a handful of programs, and has enjoyed watching how the curriculum has developed through time. “It just grew and grew and grew,” he says. “It’s always evolving.”

They’re thrilled to see the school continue to evolve at River Bend Farm, a site that Nelson calls “unbelievable”. They’re especially excited for the potential to run year-round programming and the opportunity to expand the curriculum to include more agriculture and stream ecology lessons.

They speak warmly of their friend, Drew, and the determination he has demonstrated in making his dream a reality. “He’s a visionary, he’s got chutzpah, and he gets things done,” Nelson says. But, perhaps most importantly, he has a good knack for hiring excellent staff, Betti notes. “It’s a real lesson in what can be accomplished when you have quality leadership,” she says, speaking of the entire leadership team.

They’re both very pleased to be able to support their friend and The Ecology School in this new chapter at River Bend Farm.

 “It’s easy to get enthusiastic about that place and that mission and that team,” Nelson says.

If you would like to learn more about the Capital Campaign and naming opportunities at River Bend Farm, please contact Development Director, Bryan Matluk at (207) 283-9951 or bryan@theecologyschool.org.