ANNUAL REPORT
2020
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CONTENTS 3
YEAR IN REVIEW
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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
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THE PINCH HOUSE: 2020 SEMESTER PROJECT
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THE SNAIL: AARP COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT: ANNMARIE HARMON
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MEET THE TEAM
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY + INCLUSION AT YESTERMORROW
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INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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THANK YOU
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Cover: Design details from the 2020 Sustainable Treehouse Design and Construction course include custom metalwork commemorating Yestermorrow’s 40th Anniversary. Left: It’s the people, from students and instructors to staff and donors, that define Yestermorrow.
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YEAR IN REVIEW
MISSION Yestermorrow Design/Build School inspires people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.
4 YESTERMORROW’S YEAR AT A GLANCE
35
350%
Like so many institutions and organizations around the country, Yestermorrow was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We took the lessons learned from years of design/build experience and adapted our plan to safely execute our mission both online and in-person.
NUMBER OF IN-PERSON CLASSES IN 2020, INCLUDING A SUCCESSFUL SEMESTER PROGRAM
PERCENTAGE OF OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL MET IN FY 2020
ONLINE COURSES OFFERED
14 148
240 students attended a class on campus
STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN AN ONLINE COURSE THROUGH OUR EXPANDED ONLINE CURRICULUM; A CONTINUED FOCUS FOR 2021.
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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR the “interactive” portion of the Yestermorrow mission statement would be. Despite being closed for three months, campus was buzzing by late summer with in-state students and those who had quarantined..
While 2019 marked a year of incredible growth for Yestermorrow; 2020 tested the fortitude and commitment of our staff, instructors, students and donors, just as the world was tested. Faced with a global pandemic, we navigated our 40th Anniversary with the inventiveness instilled in us by our four decades-long mission, which emphasizes hands-on learning, ingenuity, integration and interaction. Hands-on education became challenging as the world came to a halt in March, one week after the arrival of our Interns. Little did we know how important, and open to interpretation
In August, we welcomed our Yestermorrow/UMASS Semester in Design/Build students to campus for the 10th year of this partnership program. Following Vermont Governor Scott’s guidelines for quarantine and physical and social distancing, our students, instructors and staff made a commitment to design/build education, allowing us to provide a safe space for hands-on education. Their project, an 840-squarefoot modular studio and living space, will hopefully provide a prototype for sustainable, affordable housing options in the Mad River Valley. Speaking of the Valley, we welcomed the return of a local icon to campus at the end of the year thanks to a Community Challenge Grant from the AARP.
The Snail was completed in 2002 by our Community Design/Build class and served as an East Warren School bus stop until recently. Thanks to the AARP’s support, we relocated the unique structure to our Waitsfield campus on scenic Route 100 and it was revitalized and refurbished as we prepared it for use as a stop on the Mad Bus route. The generosity of the Yestermorrow community was on full display in 2020. With the help of our donors and supporters, we continued construction on our Dorm Bunkhouse Project, established a BIPOC Scholarship Fund, and further developed our programs. The donation of a CNC Machine and contributions from software maker AutoDesk will inspire expanded technology-based programming while our new online curriculum coordinator, Lina Menard, will help evolve our offerings and breathe new life and meaning into the “interactive process” outlined in our mission. We begin the new fiscal year inspired by the commitment
of our donors, instructors, students and staff and, while online classes are another tool in our tool box, we’re excited to continue the hands-on (well sanitized, of course) experiences we’ve built over the past 40 years. Despite the roadblocks thrown our way by Covid-19, we finished the year feeling fortunate for the support and generosity of the Yestermorrow community. You all have helped us immensely in the past year. We head into our 41st year with a clearer vision of Yestermorrow’s future. We hope you will continue to join us on our journey.
IN-PERSON CLASSES Campus is alive thanks to a commitment to safety by our students, instructors and staff.
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THE PINCH HOUSE
2020 SEMESTER IN DESIGN/BUILD PROJECT
YESTERMORROW/UMASS-AMHERST SEMESTER IN DESIGN/BUILD STUDENTS EXPLORE A POTENTIAL MODEL FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE MAD RIVER VALLEY, DESIGNING AND CREATING AN 840-SQUARE-FOOT STUDIO APARTMENT AND WORK SPACE FOR A COUPLE IN SHARON, VERMONT. Living Module: 14-by-38 feet
Studio Module: 14-by-23 feet Super insulated, double wall construction with R40 walls and R60 ceiling
$65,000 ESTIMATED COST OF CONSTRUCTION* *Does not include cost of student labor or site work
Despite the limitations of Covid-19, the 2020 Semester in Design/Build students and instructors committed themselves to strict safety protocols to guarantee a safe in-person learning experience. Their commitment is on display in their amazing construction project; an 840-square-foot modular live and work space they designed and built. Two structures, designed with net zero principles in mind, will come together on-site to seamlessly integrate with a newly fabricated home by Vermod, a Vermont-based modular home design/build company. The clients, one of whom is a graduate of the 2013
Semester in Design/Build program, will place the structures on land in Sharon, Vermont. Inside, the students laid local hardwood flooring and installed custom cabinetry they designed. To accompany dense-pack insulation, the students installed allubox
HVAC, plumbing, electricty and energy efficient appliances in the living space. With an estimated total cost of $65,000, we’re hopeful this project will lay the foundation for more affordable housing solutions in the Mad River Valley and beyond.
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THE SNAIL
AARP GRANT RETURNS ICONIC STRUCTURE TO CAMPUS
GRANT PROVIDES THE RESOURCES TO REVIVE AND RELOCATE ICONIC SNAIL STRUCTURE, A PRODUCT OF THE 2002 COMMUNITY DESIGN/BUILD CLASS, AFTER NEARLY TWO DECADES IN EAST WARREN. It’s hard to imagine a better view for a bus stop; perched on a plateau, overlooking Sugarbush’s legendary terrain at an historic four corners intersection. That’s where The Snail, an eye-catching bus stop structure, served the East Warren community for nearly 20 years. A landmark fashionably graying with age, its days as a bus stop were in the rearview mirrow when the opportunity came for it to return to Yestermorrow.
spaces, housing, transportation and more.
That journey began with the help of an American Association of Retired People (AARP) 2020 Community Challenge Grant. The grant, which focuses on making communities more livable for people of all ages, focuses on projects that improve public
Aging boards were replaced; foundation skids repaired; the roof updated. We even added a splash of orange paint (Benjamin Moore’s Jack O’Lantern, to be exact) to make it stand out where the scenic evergreen-lined driveway meets Route 100.
The AARP’s generous contribution allowed us to relocate and revitalize the shelter, which would return to its original purpose as a bus stop, and icon, along Route 100 in Waitsfield. A short trip on a flatbed truck at the end of December brought The Snail to campus where a graded, roadside plot awaited its arrival. In the end, a team of local contractors, Yestermorrow staff and a former intern, collaborated to revive this long-standing community icon. In its new location, The Snail will continue to serve users of all ages as a unique,
safe accessible community structure. All made possible by the AARP and our wonderful friend of the school in the Vermont Chapter.
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT ANNMARIE HARMON
FROM ARCHITECT TO YESTERMORROW STUDENT TO MAD RIVER VALLEY LOCAL, ANNMARIE HARMON TRANSLATES SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION PRACTICES TO DREAM HOME DESIGN AND BUILD IN RETIREMENT. THANKS TO ANNMARIE’S GENEROSITY, YESTERMORROW HAS BEEN ABLE TO ENDURE THE PANDEMIC. “When I started attending Yestermorrow courses over ten years ago, I had a vision of designing and constructing an off-thegrid ‘writer’s’ cabin for my husband and I as our MRV get-away.
ANNMARIE COMPLETED THE CERTIFICATE IN SUSTAINABLE BUILDING AND DESIGN WITH A PRACTICUM PROJECT OUTLINING HER VISION FOR A LOCAL YOUTH ACTIVITY CENTER. SHE CURRENTLY SERVES ON THE WAITSFIELD PLANNING COMMISSION WHERE SHE SAYS HER YESTERMORROW EXPERIENCE PREPARED HER FOR THAT ROLE.
My idea was that I would document this journey and then publish it in a book. I figured once I experienced all the trials and set-backs from the immersion into the process I could then become a consultant assisting others. I fell in love with the concept of permaculture and living from the land rather than the grocery store. This is why I started attending Yestermorrow with courses
like Redesigning Wastewater, Invisible Structures and Edible Forest Gardens. Yestermorrow was an important part of the idea of how I could someday get back into the profession of architecture. So, here we are designing the home of our dreams instead of the small off-thegrid cabin we are designing an energy efficient, environmentally friendly, sustainable structure along with an architectural designer who will complete the construction documents. I’m pulling out all my YM notes and books and at the drafting table as I write this!”
TEAM YESTERMORROW
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OUR STAFF GROWS IN 2020
ADRIENNE CAESAR
LINA MENARD
BLUFF Campus Coordinator
Online Curriculum Coordinator
NICK NICK PATTIS PATTIS
Design/Build Design/Build Coordinator Coordinator
DREW VETERE Outreach & Development Coordinator
BEN SERVICE Finance & Human Resources Manager
CHRISSY BELLMYER, Operations Director BRAD COOK, Facilities Manager MICHELLE LEE, Kitchen Manager MEG REINHOLD, Cook BRITTON ROGERS, Executive Director RACHEL WYLIE, Student Services Coordinator
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY + INCLUSION
2020 WAS A YEAR FOR INTROSPECTION. OUR STAFF AND BOARD INITIATED A SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS TO EXAMINE THE STEPS YESTERMORROW CAN TAKE TO BECOME A MORE INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATION. THE PROCESS IS OUTLINED BELOW BY RACHEL WYLIE, OUR STUDENT SERVICES COORDINATOR. The Diversity, Equity + Inclusion statement and Indigenous Land Acknowledgement came from many conversations throughout the last year. We at Yestermorrow felt it was important for us to make a supportive statement that is reflective of the culture and mission of Yestermorrow. Beyond expressing support and providing that culture with room to grow and evolve, we also wanted to show our commitment to taking real action to shift our school culture to greater inclusion and equity. The Indigenous Lands Acknowledgment was written with structural guidance from articles online and examples from other organizations. It felt important to, however briefly, share some of the culture and history of the Abenaki people in Vermont. The final version reflects feedback from Judy Dow, a local Abenaki educator and friend of Yestermorrow. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement was written to be both timely and timeless, a statement to help hold us accountable to continuing to learn, evolve, and do better. It felt important to offer transparency of the steps we are taking to make Yestermorow a place where everyone - especially those historically harmed by systems of oppression - feel supported to thrive. The final Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement was crafted throughout many months and countless iterations, incorporating invaluable input from staff, board members, alumni and BIPOC colleagues. As noted in the statement, it will evolve alongside the organization, and any feedback is welcome by using the online feedback form at bit.ly/DEI-YM or by scanning the accompanying QR Code.
“We are committed to re-orienting this organization towards greater safety, equity, and opportunity for historically harmed, mistreated, and excluded groups...”
Scan the code to share your feedback.
STEPS WE ARE TAKING AS AN ORGANIZATION Requiring Diversity, Equity & Inclusion training for our staff and board members. Revising our course welcome/orientation to include sharing our pronouns, indigenous land. acknowledgment, equity statement, and student feedback channels. Sending out our DEI and ILA statements to all students before arriving on campus, as well as reading the statements during class orientations. Providing multiple means for students to give feedback on their experience at the school so that we can address inequities immediately. Developing curriculum on racism in design and architecture, spatial justice, environmental justice and design justice. Developing and offering courses that incorporate two-eyed seeing, an equitable framework that brings together indigenous ways of knowing with scientific ways of knowing. Actively seeking BIPOC individuals to join our teaching team, board, staff, and student body. Supporting and, where appropriate, seeking membership with minority-led organizations. Growing the BIPOC scholarship fund to begin to address financial barriers. Uplifting and amplifying BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and female voices through our online programming, social media, and on our website. Creating accountability to our commitment through regular DEI Committee meetings, which includes staff, board, and BIPOC friends of Yestermorrow.
14 Yestermorrow is a leader in Design/Build education
in no small part thanks to the thousands of incredible individuals who have graced our campus. And yet, by not addressing systemic barriers to attending our programs, we have missed out on the creativity and brilliance of folks who have been targeted by the systems of oppression. That is why Yestermorrow is committed to intentionally centering, honoring, and integrating the presence and knowledge of Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color, and individuals from other marginalized communities. We believe that our mission to “inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world” is not possible without the valuable perspectives, lived experiences, energy, and resilience that these communities carry. We are committed to re-orienting this organization towards greater safety, equity, and opportunity for historically harmed, mistreated, and excluded groups including BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, people with disabilities, and women. We also know that this commitment requires more than putting well-intentioned words on our website. It requires an internal reckoning, an examination of how structures of white supremacy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and classism have influenced America in general and our organization in particular, and then actively working to dismantle and rebuild those structures. We recognize that this will not happen immediately or even quickly. We know it will not be graceful or easy. We believe that by centering the knowledge, lived experiences, and brilliance of BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and disabled leaders, educators, and students, we all benefit. We pledge to continue working on this for the entire ‘morrow’ of Yestermorrow.
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INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Yestermorrow Design/Build School is located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont on the unceded territory of Western Abenaki tribes. Abenaki is an Algonquian language and their name means “People of the Dawn Land”. They are First Nation People and have stewarded this land for thousands of years before white settlers arrived. Abenaki people have preserved their culture and traditions despite a painful history of ethnic persecution and state-sponsored eugenics by colonial settlers in Vermont. Yestermorrow Design/ Build School’s staff, board, and instructors acknowledge the history of attempted ethnocide, as well as the modern continuation of social structures and systems that disadvantage Abenaki people. We recognize that our organization was founded within these systems of oppression. We are committed to dismantling these systems within our organization and creating pathways for Abenaki students to thrive at Yestermorrow as students, instructors, staff, and board members. Please refer to our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Statement for specific actions we are taking towards this commitment.
BIPOC SCHOLARSHIP FUND PUTTING OUR DIVERSITY, EQUITY + INCLUSION INITIATIVES TO ACTION With the help of a dedicated campaign on Giving Tuesday, our generous donors have helped us establish and grow the BIPOC Scholarship Fund from the ground up.
$12,226 BIPOC SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS RAISED AS OF MARCH 2021
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS DONOR SUMMARY $10,000+ : 6
350%
$1,000 - $10,000: 17
Percentage of fundraising goal achieved in 2020.
$250 - $500: 16
*Not including state and federal grants.
$500 - $1,000: 14
$100 - $250: 50+
80% YESTERMORROW IS A 501C3 NON PROFIT Thanks to the hundreds of donations received annually, Yestermorrow is able to provide scholarship assistance; keep tuition affordable; continually fine-tune course offerings; and improve our facilities. Tax-deductible contributions make up 20% of our operating revenue each year, and nearly 100% of the funds for future capital improvements.
Percentage of total 2020 donations ranging from $250 to $10,000+.
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DONATION BREAKDOWN 2020
2019
2018
Donations / Amount / Percentage $10,000 +
6 / $168,922 /64.38%
4 / $134,971 /65.45%
3 / $81,581 /61.76%
$1,000 - $10,000
17 / $28,890 / 11.01%
22 / $42,899 / 20.80%
9 / $21,252 / 16.09%
$500 - $1,000
14 / $8,439 / 3.22%
18 / $9,468 / 4.59%
13 / $7,560 / 5.72%
$250 - $500
15 / $4,244 / 1.62%
23 / $7,276 / 3,53%
20 / $9,030 / 6.84%
TOTALS
52 / $210,495 / 80.22%
67 / $194,614 / 94.37%
45 / $132,083 / 90.41%
19 FUNDRAISING BREAKDOWN
2020
DONATIONS BY YEAR $300K
GOAL: $75,000 ACTUAL: $495,492* *includes $233,107 in government and state grants
$200K
GRANTS: $44,300 Grant Makers: $100K
AARP AutoDesk Robbins DeBeaumont
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS rk MILES: Generous discounts on building materials PARADIGM WINDOWS: Premium triple pane windows for dorm bunkhouse project
SCHOLARSHIPS Total: $22,961 Awarded: $10,533 BIPOC Scholarship Fund: $12,226
20 THANKS TO OUR DONORS WE HAVE UPGRADED OUR TOOL SHED BY ADDING THE FOLLOWING TOOLS IN THE PAST YEAR: JOINTER LATHE STAGING IMPACT DRIVERS SCROLL SAW FLOOR NAILER DRYWALL GUNS CHOP SAW
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THANK YOU!
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROSITY OF OUR DONORS IN 2021
ADRIAN WALLACE ALEX & WILLIAM MACLAY ANDREAS STAVROPOULOS ANDREW & CATHERINE BALTO ANGELO MARASCO ANNMARIE HARMON ART SCHALLER BARBARA CLAPP & DAVID ADAMS BEN & SANFRA WEISS BILL & ELLEN REED BLAKE VOSS BOB BOGOMOLNY & JANICE TORAN BRENDA YOUNG BRITTON ROGERS & JOHN WILSON CAROL FAGET CATHERINE FALLONA CHARLIE & CAROL HOSFORD CHRIS VIVIER CHUCK TAUCK & FRAN LITTIN CRYSTAL ISAAC DALE N BICKENBACH DAN DESANTIS DAN ECKSTEIN & TARA HAMILTON DANIEL GOODYEAR DAVID FRANK DAVID GOLDMAN DONALD MCCARTHY DORN MCMAHON DUNCAN KING ELISE FABBRI ELIZABETH ROGERS EMILY AND DAVID HUTCHESON EVA HOGUE FRANCESCA & RANDALL CINELLI-STRATTON GALEN REQUIST
GARY BIASUCCI GARY FLEISHER GRACE JONES RICHARDSON TRUST GRAHAM CONNELL GRETCHEN SCHERMERHORN GUNNAR HUBBARD HANK LOUIS HANK WALL HEATHER TAUCK HENRY TITTMANN JACOB MUSHLIN JAMES ADAMS JAMES & BARBARA MINGLE JANET & DAVID ELLISON JEAN JONES AND JONES FAMILY FARMS JEFF & BETH BINNS SCHOELLKOPF JEFFREY GEORGIA JESSE WILKINS JOANNE NOTO JOE LANDRIGAN JOHN & CHERYL DAVIS JOHN ANDERSON JOHN CONNELL & APRIL SMITH JOHN ECHEVERRIA JOHN NORTON & RONI DONNENFELD JOHN RINGEL JOHNO LANDSMAN & CHRISSY BELLMYER JON CUMP JON GOPLERUD JON MINGLE JORGE RIVAS JOY & ROB PLAYTER JP MORGAN CHASE FOUNDATION KAREN BARRY KATE STEPHENSON & GLEN HUTCHESON KATHERINE G. & ROBERT M. ROLOSON FOUNDATION
KATHY MEYER KEN BURTON KEN WEINER KIRSTI LATTU KORY ROGERS LAURA MOSS LEDA & ROBERT BOWERS LEXIE DALY LISA DAMON LONA WOLFE LUCY ROLLINS LYNN MORGAN MAC & BOBBI ROOD MARC STAUFFER MARIELLE BLAIS MARJORIE DUCK MARK FEIRER MARK MELECHINSKY MARTIN GEHNER MARY WILLIAMS MATTHEW WOLPE MEDHANIE HABTE MELINDA BARNHARDT MICHAEL & CHELSEA KANEB MITCHELL BERMAN MOLLY & JUSTIN COOK NANCY MOBLEY NICOLA DE PACE PAIGE & CAMPBELL INC. PAM NOTO PATRICIA PINKSTON PAUL DERKSEN PERRY EHLEN PHILLIP MEAD RANDOLPH JONES RANDY TAPLIN
REBECCA ROBINSON RHODES WAITE RICHARD LORENZOTTI RICK AMES RINOR KOMONI ROB BAST ROBERT & CAROL STEWART ROBERT BOGOMOLNY ROBERT LORENZ ROBERT MULLEN ROBERT OSWALD ROBIN & JENNY MORRIS RONNIE LIVINGSTON SAMAN AHMADI SANDRA SOTAK SARAH SLAUGHTER SCOTT & CAYLIN MCCAMP SIARA GAYLORD SON BAO VUONG SYLVIA SMITH TERRY ALLEN THEA ALVIN THOMAS STILLWELL TIMOTHY RIETH TOM & YUMIKO VIRANT VERMONT MOUNTAIN ELDERBERRY LLC WF DORE WILL BLOOMER WILL STEPHENS WILLIAM AND LYNN OSBORN ZELL STEEVER & ELIZABETH RAISBECK
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YESTERMORROW DESIGN/BUILD SCHOOL 7865 MAIN STREET WAITSFIELD, VERMONT 05673 1.888.496.5541 WWW.YESTERMORROW.ORG
