On the Day, before year-end, 12/31, MIDNIGHT… get your 2025 tax benefit while making a BIG DIFFERENCE! Grateful for any level of support… Please Donate Today with MightyCause
- $30 Help print Accessible Arboretum self-tour guides!
- $50 Help the Artist in Residence replace a few heavy-duty extension cords!
- $100 Support a weary Caregiver 1:1 session or 2-hour Respite Retreat Program.
- $1,000 Help pave the wheelchair-friendly Hardscape Switchback Trail in the forest!
Double your dollars up to a $500 match by The Sisters of Mt. St. Scholastica, Atchison, KS!
A total of $220 has been received as of 12/31 morning. Let’s match $280. by MIDNIGHT!
$100 received on PayPal 12/30! Thanks!
$120 of $500 has been matched as of 12/29 by 3 individual checks received ~ thanks!
Double your dollars up to a $1,235 match by The Friends of Rest-Stop-Ranch!
A total of $765 has been received as of 12/31 morning. Let’s match $1,235. by MIDNIGHT!
$65 came through on MightyCause last night! Thanks!
$700 of $2K has been matched as of 12/29 by online donations received ~ thanks!
Other online options: PayPal, Venmo
Onsite option: Drop a personal check with a love note in our mailbox!
We hope to meet our year-end goal of $22,062. ~ with your help! Please Donate Today with MightyCause
15-Year Anniversary Highlights by Seasons
WINTER
Our first Holiday Stroll 0.1 mile trail party was 2011. It was a compacted crushed stone surface, until the paved trail was completed 2020. Over 2 years Karl labored, and Georgetown Building Supply and Karen & Dave Moniz provided a portion of paver assistance (Broken Heart Patio & Lightning Bolt Trail).
We slowly developed 3 fun Bonfire parties to warm up winter blahs. These parties have become more and more wheelchair-friendly thanks to Karl’s work ethic, funding assistance from hundreds of individuals, and a big $5K grant from Christopher Reeve Foundation in 2025.
Dec Holiday Stroll
Jan – March Bonfires
2022 Mary turned 50, and raised $10,000 ~ Thank you Donors! ~ to complete Secret Garden and Cottage Garden accessible trails. Karl labored evenings and weekends and we celebrated with a community party onsite in early May. With our Front Garden completed in 2020, this made 3 Accessible Garden areas for public sharing and enjoyment! Guests could now explore beyond 15 lilacs (in the Front Garden)… to see and smell up to 50 wheelchair-accessible lilacs!
April Bulbs
May Lilacs
June Roses
SUMMER
2011 A non-verbal woman living with Alzheimer’s sang along “You are My Sunshine” with Mary, when she visited with her care-partner. The care-partner cried to notice this transformation.
2015 First Independent Wheelchair-user, Marianne, tested the 0.1 mile compacted crushed stone trail and provided feedback which turned into priorities for next development steps.
2019 The NE ARC Day Program participants helped maintain the gardens…
- Mowed the Lawns
- Moved Bricks
- Helped Plant Trees & Bushes
2025 Families with children with medical complexities reserved the wheelchair-friendly Treehouse for a summer picnic. They laid out blankets on the grass & moss, and enjoyed the privacy and unique meet-up location. Learn more: Rare Road Foundation.
July Lilies
Aug Peaches & Raspberries
FALL
2023 Sep, Oct – Our friend and supporter, Martha Morrison, played leading lady in the transition of the Topsfield Fair Flower Building patch from the Topsfield Garden Club to the Rest-Stop-Ranch team. Each year, we’ve demonstrated for a first time in the building, what accessible garden-scape might include.
Nov- Our Chrysanthemum Collection has grown to include many fun and whimsical perennial varieties which bloom past the first few frosts and delight guests even on early winter days.
This is our final push to raise the funds needed to support:
- Growing the Accessible Gardens (2026 Forest Floor Hardscape Switchback)
- User-Friendly Labeling the Arboretum Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines
- Creating an Artist-in-Residence Program, starting with Light Artist, Matt Belge
- Offering Individual and Group Support, and Memory Cafe for Dementia Caregivers
To review the Use of Funds for each area, please visit: 12 Days of Giving is Coming Up