Haunted Forest Shows/Tickets Volunteers Sponsors FAQ Photos Fun for Change Writing and Design

Fun for Change

Fun for Change is a non-profit that was created in order to continue the traditional Vermont Halloween event, The Haunted Forest. For 20-plus years, The Audubon Nature Center in Huntington, Vermont hosted the beloved event as a major fundraiser. But after 21 years Audubon made the difficult decision to no longer host The Haunted Forest. The event had evolved into a major affair requiring over 400 volunteers and entertaining well over 5,000 people. The demands on the Audubon staff were staggering and began to interfere with their ability to focus on important things related to their mission, such as educational programming. After Audubon went National, it made the decision to no longer host the Halloween event. It was at this point that a group of dedicated volunteers, stepped in and saved the Forest, the Haunted Forest that is. The first task was to form a new non-profit that would ensure the Haunted Forest a permanent place in Vermont Tradition. Fun for Change was born. The next task was to find a new home for the event and that was found at the beautiful Catamount Family Center in Williston. Since the environment was one of Fun for Change's priorities, this seemed a perfect marriage. Catamount is one of the last parcels of undeveloped land in Williston and is under constant pressure to urban sprawl. Catamount's dedication to preserving open land enabled Fun for Change to find a home for The Haunted Forest.

Then it was on with the show! The new board now had to organize a show that required 400 volunteers and entertained 5,300 people. There were scripts to be written, costumes to be made, (enough for 45 actors) sets to be designed, built and painted, props to be found and the biggest project: over 1,000 pumpkins to be found, carved, lit and placed in the forest. Starting in February the board met weekly to discuss everything from porta potties to firewood to which kind of candle would be best for all those pumpkins that would line the trail. Throughout the year, the board members worked very hard putting in hundreds of hours to ensure that The Haunted Forest would live on. And it sure did! The first year was a huge success and received nothing but rave reviews from all who attended.

But we were exhausted and still the work was not finished. It took well into November before the board members could finally say that The Haunted Forest production of 2002 was finished.

And when all was said and done the Fun for Change Board members realized that the number of hours that Board members had volunteered was simply not sustainable. In addition to the countless hours between February and November, many Board members took most of October off from their regular jobs. We knew that that kind of demand on one's time, especially volunteer time, put The Haunted Forest at risk. Our main goal was and had been from the beginning to ensure that The Haunted Forest would remain a Vermont Tradition for many more years to come. To be successful it had to be able to sustain itself as new board members and volunteers came and went. So after much discussion and getting advice from other local non- profits, the decision was made to hire a full time staff person who would work year round.

This person who reports to the Board, works to coordinate all the many pieces that make up the show, much like other events in the area such as First Night or The Vermont City Marathon that require paid help in order to ensure their continued success. This allows the Board to focus more on the future of Fun for Change and The Haunted Forest and the direction each will take.

Right now, The Haunted Forest is the major event that Fun for Change produces. In addition to providing the public with a drug and alcohol free family event we are also able to give to the community through participation in the Mardi Gras (2003) and Williston 4th of July parades (2002-today). In 2003, we were also the proud sponsors of the Vermont Expos game on August 10th for a special "Halloween Night at the Ball Park". In addition, we have supported a variety of local charities, including The Vermont Youth Orchestra and The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. For more information on this see the section on our scholarship program.

Fun for Change strives to support the environment, kids and art. The Haunted Forest is the seed and we look forward to the wonderful things that will grow from it.

Haunted Forest Shows/Tickets Volunteers Sponsors FAQ Photos Fun for Change Writing and Design

Email : jana@thehauntedforest.org

Phone (802) 238-0923 | Mail Fun for Change

P.O. Box 973 Williston, VT 05495-0973

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