A Rocha Canada raises a barn

A Rocha Canada has a big vision: to renovate the graciously gifted barn at the Brooksdale Environmental Centre and turn it into a year-round education centre where students of all ages will be able to learn about environmental conservation.

The campaign kicked off on 25 May with the Barn Raiser – a fundraising event offering great food, warm community and inspiring stories about the goodness of God and the necessity of creation care.

The evening featured Rod Wilson (former President of Regent College, Vancouver and Consultant for A Rocha International), Brigitte Harbers (high school senior and conservationist), Joel Sartore (featured speaker and National Geographic photographer), and Geoff Cowper (philanthropist and A Rocha International Trustee).

World-renowned photographer Joel Sartore shares a selection of his photos at the Barn Raiser

David Anderson, Brooksdale Centre Director explains, ‘A barn raiser is a party, usually providing food and drink, during which a barn is built or rebuilt collectively by members of the community. We host 5,000 visitors a year through our environmental education programs with schoolchildren, adults, refugees, interns and international visitors. But we have only one living room in which to host groups. Transforming our old barn into a Learning Centre will enable us to more comfortably host the visitors we already have, and provide flexibility for our programming in the future.’

Hear Brenda Neufeld tell the story of the developing relationship with A Rocha Canada and how donating the property became the most natural and rewarding option for everyone involved:

Visit https://arocha.ca/brooksdale/ to learn more and get involved with this campaign.