Why is Hastings House Fundraising?
The Hastings House community center in Beverly Farms has long been a well-loved place for neighbors to gather in celebration, both in public and private events. For decades, neighbors and local businesses have volunteered to make repairs, host community events, raise money for countless causes, and find ways to pay for the ongoing maintenance of a more than 100-year-old building and 56-year-old gym.
This year’s Farms-Prides Community Association (FPCA) board – the 501(c)3 entity that manages the operations for Hastings House – has begun a multi-year fundraising effort to tackle these facilities' maintenance projects. This September 16th we are hosting an evening event called CASINO ROYALE – a night of fun casino games and raffles run by gaming professionals – to round out 2023 with an entertaining and successful fundraiser.
FUNDRAISING DETAILS & PURPOSE
New long-term funds are being sought in the following ways to provide stable, long-term funding for the ongoing needs of the building:
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Local Fundraising & Awareness: The FPCA board is working on a multi-year plan to inform neighbors and businesses of the needs of the Hastings House facility, in hopes that neighbors will donate their expertise and/or their hard-earned dollars to help us tackle a variety of needs inside the building.
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Encourage More Private Rentals: A primary source of income for the maintenance of Hastings House comes from the fees FPCA charges to the public for the private use of the building. The FPCA board has decided to try to keep fees as low as we can, taking into account recent energy cost increases. We feel it is important to do our best to make the building accessible for everyone in the community.
We have recently learned that there has been an influx of new neighbors that don’t realize that Hastings House can be rented for private use. Some are also not yet aware that families and businesses, who support Hastings House with yearly membership fees, can rent Hastings House for private use. Thus, another key effort is to welcome new residents and businesses to Hastings House and encourage the use of this special place in our community. -
Endowment/Legacy Funding: We are working on setting up a way for all residents of Beverly Farms and Prides Crossing to designate donations to a FPCA fund that will be invested to provide long-term, consistent income for the care and maintenance of Hastings House for decades to come.
We hope to establish a much more consistent and solid basis of funding by 2025 to be able to consistently take care of the Hastings House facility needs.
Some highlights of the needs are:
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Remove and update wiring, pipes, and other seriously outdated infrastructure.
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Add more efficient heating technology, as well as air conditioning, to make the facilities truly usable year-round. (Project completed in summer of 2023!)
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Add ADA-compliant bathrooms to the gym and overhaul the existing bathrooms.
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Add an improved fire escape stairwell which will mean a full remodeling of the kitchen.
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Update lighting throughout the facility, as well as improve flooring and many other small improvement projects, that will make the facility more aesthetically pleasing to broaden the appeal of the space for broader events.
We, the FPCA Board, are asking for your help to support and fund these facility improvements. The entire board sincerely appreciates your time in considering how you can help us make sure Hastings House is a jewel of this thriving community for decades to come.
Even if you can't attend our Kick-Off Casino Royale Fundraiser - this is an excellent time to donate any amount to help us take care of this grand old building. (Remember - FPCA is a 501(c)3 organization which means any donation is fully tax deductible.)
We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support of this unique neighborhood institution.
Thank you for your support –
Christy King, President
Liz St. Hilaire, Vice President
Pete Johnson, Treasurer
Rick Lord, Corresponding Secretary
Bob Jones, Recording Secretary
Directors
​Stephen Brickles, Bob Jones, Jerome Kyllingstad, Joe Manzi, Joanne Miller, and Kevin Smith